Love And War
by MadeInNowhere
Summary: A requested story for soul96961. In this one, Tails and Cream are soon to be married, and the two-tailed fox signs up for the army. But will he come back to Cream the same man? And will things be the same when he comes back? Read and review. Please, no flames.
1. A Parting Gift

**DISCLAIMER: I own nothing but the story. All rights go to Sega and all associates.**

 **Here's the other of two stories! Much like Foxhunt, this was also requested a long time ago, and I can't help but feel like it's weird to do this when pretty much all of my one-shots this year have involved Tails in some way. But none of those involved Tails going to war. The closest I've come to that is Cyber Riders, which is a buddy-cop comedy with sci-fi elements, and not what I'm hoping this story turns out to be. Apologies to soul96961 for getting to it so late, but I hope that it was all worth it. Also, this first chapter does contain a lemon, and may be the only chapter to do so, but there's a reason. I'll see you at the other end!**

* * *

The wheels of a light blue sedan hammered their way through mostly uncluttered traffic. A yellow fox was driving said vehicle, and next to him was a cream and orange rabbit, holding the Fox's hand as he drove. Soon, they'd reached their destination, both sighing.

"So," Cream started, "you leave tomorrow, right?"

Tails nodded. "That I do, darling."

"And you're not out with the rest of your friends getting wasted?" Cream giggled.

"You know that's not my style," Tails smiled.

Tails the fox and Cream the rabbit had been together for a long time, and were close to getting married, despite still being in their early twenties. Still, they knew their love when they first saw each other, and it had only gotten stronger since.

The two were just now pulling in to a fancy wine and dine style restaurant, with Tails having parked the car, dressed to the nines in a fancy tuxedo. Cream also looked incredible, wearing a flowing, sparking yellow dress, combined with small brown boots and a decent amount of makeup.

"Besides," Tails continued, "I'd rather enjoy some lovely time with my beautiful bride to be before I leave tomorrow."

Cream blushed, reaching for Tails' hand, who reached out to take hers. "I still can't believe it... you're going to be in the army. I'll be worried sick about you."

"Don't be," Tails smiled, kissing her cheek. "I'll be back in one piece. I promise."

"I hope so," Cream joked. "I don't want you to lose one of those fluffy tails of yours. I will miss snuggling them at night..."

Tails laughed at that as they entered the restaurant, getting their table sorted thanks to the host. He guided the Mobian couple to their table by the window, and said host then asked what they'd like for appetisers, with both just settling on some small pasta meals.

"And drinks?" the host asked.

"Just some water," Tails said. "I'm actually going to be in the army starting tomorrow."

"Oh!" The host bowed his head. "Then, please, take all of this on the house."

"Are you sure?" Tails asked. "I'm not even there yet. It wouldn't be right."

"Oh, we insist!" the host nodded. "We give this out to brave men and women who fight in the army all the time. Even veterans come here for free meals."

"Well, that's both convenient and pretty kind of you," Tails smiled. "Still, I would like to pay for mine and the lady's meal."

The host nodded, smiling. "I can appreciate your honesty and your chivalry. So, just water? For both of you?"

Cream nodded. "Yes please."

The host bows his head, passing it along to another waiter, who writes the order down before going to the kitchen. As they left, Cream and Tails reached their hands out to each other, both smiling happily.

"You really went all out for me tonight," Cream smiled. "I... I just don't want the night to end on a bad note."

"It won't," said Tails. "Trust me. I will do everything that I can to make your night the best ever."

Cream lifted Tails' hand and kissed it. "It already is."

As she put Tails' hand down from the kiss, the waiter returned with their appetisers, setting the food and drink down before speaking. "Main course?"

"Shepherd's pie and beans for me," said Tails.

"I'll share with him and split it, if that's okay?" Cream asked.

"That's fine," the waiter smiled. "Would you like a big one to split or a normal sized one?"

"Normal sized," Tails replied. "We want room for dessert, after all."

"Very smart thinking," the waiter chuckled, jotting it down. "Speaking of dessert, any preferences? Or do you want to wait until after your main meal?"

"We'll wait until after," Tails answered. "And besides, we have our appetisers first."

"It's fine," the waiter shrugs. "It's a fairly busy night. A lot of soldiers leaving tomorrow to fight in the war."

"Really?" Tails sighed. "Crap... I thought I was the only one..."

"Don't worry about it," the waiter smiles. "You're the only one here to actually still pay. All the others took the freebie."

"I don't know if that makes them smart and selfish, or it just makes me kind and stupid," Tails said.

"Tails, you are certainly anything but stupid," Cream smiled. "If you want to pay, that's fine with me. If not, then that's also fine with me. I love you. That's all that matters."

Tails smiled. "I love you too." He turned to the waiter. "Um... yeah, we're good with paying."

"All right, I'll be back later to check up on you," the waiter smiled, bowing and turning to leave.

Tails and Cream chuckled before the former sighed. "I really thought that I was the only one here." He then reached over and smiled at Cream. "But I'm the only one here with the girl of my dreams."

Cream blushed, and their appetiser soon arrived, leaving them both to dig in. Cream spoke first. "So, what position are you aiming for again?"

"Communications, mostly," said Tails. "It does require some physical training, but since I'm mostly be using my brain, I should be fine."

Cream giggled. "Well, I hope that you don't get into too much trouble just sitting behind a desk."

"I'll try," Tails winked.

They both chuckled at that and started eating their appetisers, getting through them quite quickly. They were soon done, and the waiter came over to check over their main meal order just in case. After getting it jotted down, the waiter left to get the food ready. The cute couple didn't have to wait as long as they thought, and their food was soon brought over.

"Don't you have other tables to do?" asked Tails.

"We do, but since you're the only soldier here paying, we figured that we'd repay you a little bit," the waiter smiled as he set the food down.

"Appreciate it," Tails nodded. "Thank you."

"Anything else before I leave?" the waiter asked.

"Um... a pitcher of water, maybe? That way we don't have to ask you for refills," Tails joked.

"Appreciate it," the waiter mimicked with a smile. "I'll get right on that, then I'll come back with your dessert, which you should order before I leave or it'll just make things awkward."

Cream laughed and looked over at Tails. "Got anything in mind?"

"I was hoping you'd pick," the fox shrugged. "If that's okay."

"Sir, yes, sir," Cream teased. "Hmm... chocolate strawberry gateau, please."

The waiter jotted it down. "Got it. I'll be back to check up on you later." He then left the other two alone, calling out the order as he reached the kitchen.

Tails looked over at Cream and saw her looking out the window. "You okay?" he asked.

Cream blushed a bit. "The stars out in the sky look beautiful. They really bring out the blue in your eyes."

"Usually, it's the male who does that to the female," Tails smiled.

"Does what?" Cream asked.

"Make them feel all happy and fuzzy inside."

"Well, you're already fuzzy outside. Figured I'd finish it off," Cream giggled.

Tails smiled at her giggle. "I've always loved your laugh. It's one of the most adorable things about you."

"Thank you," Cream blushed.

"And you're right," Tails said. "The stars do look amazing. But if I could bring them all down and pin them on you dress, your own beauty would still outshine it."

The rabbit smiled, her heart melting at Tails' romantic words. She leaned over to share a kiss with him, and he kissed back happily. It was a brief embrace, and they both split quickly before sitting back in their seats.

"I will miss you tomorrow," Cream said. "So much."

"Please," Tails said, "don't get too emotional about it. We can save that for when I leave."

"I know, and I know that I've said it all before, but... I worry. I'm going to be worried for such a long time about you."

Tails sighed and reached for her hand. "Just try not to worry right now. Yes, I know that it's scary. I'm scared too." He saw a tear trickle past her cheek, and he used his tails to wipe it, causing her to giggle. "Look, here's what we're going to do. We're going to eat our food, pay, go back home, and have a nice night. Tomorrow morning, I'll leave to join the army, then when I get back, we'll get married. We'll have our own little house, our own little family, and our own little life."

"I like the sound of that," Cream smiled. "Thank you, Tails. I love you."

"I love you too."

The two then went back to their meal as the waiter returned with the pitcher of water, telling them that their dessert was still being made. The couple replied in thanks for the information as they went back to eating their food, conversing but mostly focused on eating.

After a little while, and between drinks of water, they were all finished. Even though it was a normal portion of food, it was still a hefty amount to get through, and Tails sat back and rubbed his stomach, sagging a bit in his seat.

"Man," he started, "and here I am happy that I got fit to be in the army. Now I'm falling victim to tasty food, of all things."

"You poor soul," Cream giggled. "You probably won't even have room for dessert."

"Whoa, let's not get too hasty," Tails interjected, causing them both to laugh. They took another drink of water as the waiter returned.

"Ah, you're all done! Your dessert is ready. Would you like me to bring it now, or would you like some time to recover from the food you just ate?"

Cream and Tails looked at each other, shrugged, and nodded, before Tails spoke. "Now is good."

"Then now it shall be," the waiter bowed. He left and came back quickly with the food. "Here you go! And some custard, on the house!"

"We don't have to pay for it?" Tails asked.

"Nobody does," said the waiter. "It's a freebie, like the water."

"Oh, cool," Tails said. "Does the same go for condiments?"

"Sadly, no, but we're working on it," the waiter smiled. He then looked to see some people sat down and sighed before turning back to Tails and Cream. "All right, is there anything else that I can do for you before I go?"

"Actually, I think we're about done," Tails said. "Well, we've got dessert first. But after that, we're done."

"Fantastic," the waiter bowed. "Thank you for your service."

"And thank you for serving us," Tails chuckled. "You have a fun rest of your night."

"And you as well." The waiter gave one last nod before taking his leave.

Cream giggled. "I like him. He's nice."

"I'd say that it's because he's paid to be nice, but he looks genuinely happy to be working here," Tails agreed, starting to eat his food. He looked and saw Cream's saddened look on her face. "Are you okay?"

"Just... still worrying about everything from earlier," Cream sighed. "I just can't get over it, and with each thing we eat, each precious moment that we spend tonight, it makes me miss you more and more, even though you're still here for now." She sniffled a bit. "I... I shouldn't be worrying right now, but no matter how many times you tell me, it won't stop you from leaving tomorrow, will it?"

"Cream... I would if I could," Tails said. "You know that. Even in a much less battle-focused role, I'm still going to be fighting, and there's a chance that I could get hurt." He reached over to cup her face, wiping her tears with his thumb. "But, as long as you're back here waiting, I'll come back. I have something worth coming back to with you, Cream. And I can only hope that I'm as worth waiting for as you are to come back home to."

Cream blushed and nodded. "You are... I... I can wait forever for you. It may be hard, but I can wait..."

Tails smiled at her. "I know. And I promise I'll try not to make you wait too long."

"You'd better not," Cream giggled.

The two shared their laughter and went back to eating their dessert. They remained silent, focusing on their food, but still exchanging loving glances with each other. Soon, they were all finished, their stomachs full and their faces happy. They left their spoons in their empty bowls of food and stood up as the waiter stopped by.

"Oh, you're finished!" he said.

"Yep," Tails smiled. "Thank you for having us, man. You've been a gracious host."

"And you've been brilliant guests," the waiter chuckled. "Well, I won't be in your way. I'll let you two get home. I just wish you a safe drive and a lovely rest of your evening."

"Thank you," Cream smiled as she looked at Tails.

The two-tailed fox was rooting through his wallet to pay, and got out a little extra to put on the table. "There. A little extra just for being kind," Tails smiled.

"Well, thank you!" The waiter couldn't hide his smile as he took the money. "Well, this has been a fantastic night for me indeed. You are two of my best customers in a while."

"That means a lot," Cream said. "Well... we'll be seeing you."

"Of course," the waiter nodded. "You two enjoy your night. And thank you for eating here."

Cream and Tails both gave one final bow before taking their leave, even passing by some soldiers that they'd missed on the way in, with Tails recognising some as friends who he'd see tomorrow when they all left. He shared some hellos and handshakes with them, but didn't waste too much time, and the others understood.

Soon, Tails and Cream were back in their car, arriving back home over the course of a quiet drive, with some exchanges of how much they enjoyed the food. Tails parked the car out the front of the house, killing the engine before getting out.

"Finally home, milady," he smiled, opening Cream's door for her.

"Oh, I had such a wonderful night..." Cream giggled, leaning against Tails' chest as they shared a hug. "And... it doesn't have to be over yet..."

Tails blushed. "Are... are you sure?"

Cream nodded. "I had a great night, there's no doubt about that. But... I want something that I can truly remember you by..."

* * *

 **Warning! This is the lemon part! If you are under 18/16 depending on the laws of your country, then skip to the end! Otherwise, enjoy!**

* * *

Tails nodded and smirked, taking Cream's hand as they reached their door. He was quick to unlock the door, and soon, the two were on their way upstairs, losing their shoes and coats as they reached the top of them. Soon, they were in their bedroom, with Tails only in his fancy shirt and slacks as he pulled down the straps of Cream's dress.

"This looks amazing on you..." Tails said, kissing her shoulder gently. "You look so beautiful tonight... you always look beautiful..."

"Tails..." Cream blushed.

The yellow fox pulled more, making sure to take down the bra straps as well. He pulled the dress low enough that he had access to the rabbit's breasts, leaning in to kiss and lick over them. In their time together, Cream had grown to an impressive size, but was still on the smaller scale, which Tails had no complaints about. He kept kissing them, feeling himself grow harder before trailing down Cream's body.

"Oh... god..." Cream moaned.

Tails smiled as he started pulling Cream's dress down, and she had to shake to help him, thankful that she had unzipped already during their escape to the bedroom. It slid off easily, and as it hit the floor, Tails took one of Cream's feet in his hands and kissed it gently, causing her to moan. Tails kissed from the bottom of it to Cream's knee as he started working on his shirt, unbuttoning it slowly as he was so focused on the love of his life. Soon, Tails' chest was bare, and he moved up to kiss Cream deeply.

"Oh, Cream... I love you so much..."

"I love you too... I'm going to miss you so..." She kissed him, pushing her tongue against his mouth. He accepted, and they moaned into their French kissing as Tails ground his clothed crotch against Cream's own covered crotch, one layer of pesky underwear stopping it from being bare.

Tails stopped kissing her and quickly moved to take off her panties, and she shook her hips to help him. It worked, and soon the panties landed on the floor as well, and the fox wasted no time in spreading Cream's legs and diving forwards to lick her pussy lips, inhaling her scent as he started to lick her.

She moaned and wrapped her legs around Tails' neck, crossing her calves as her vagina grew wetter. Tails slipped two fingers into Cream's pussy, turning them as he ate her out. She moaned and shuddered, reaching for the back of Tails' head and pulling him closer in.

"So... c-close..." She shuddered. Tails kept lapping, going for her clit as he fingered her evenly. "F-Fuck!"

"Cum for me... I love you, Cream..." Tails moaned, licking more and sucking on her button.

Cream soon shuddered, coming apart around Tails as her body sagged. She panted as she came down from her orgasm, with Tails tracing kisses on her body, moving up and reaching her lips with his. Cream and Tails panted into their kiss, both moaning still.

"Tails..." Cream moaned. "I need you... inside me..."

Tails kissed her neck and was about to enter her when she giggled and flipped them over so that she was on top. She knelt up, rubbing her pussy against his stiff shaft before sitting up, holding his cock in one hand and sliding down on him.

"Shit..." Tails moaned. "You feel so good..."

Cream giggled and leaned over to kiss him. "So do you... Tails... I..."

"Yes?" Tails asked.

"I want you to cum inside me..."

"But... if I do... you might get-" He was silenced with a deep kiss as she started to grind against him before breaking the kiss. "Pregnant..." he continued.

"I want to..." Cream said. "I want to give you more than just me to come back to... I want to give you a son or daughter..."

"I will..." Tails said. "I love you... I love you so much..."

Cream smiled happily. "I love you too..."

She then leaned down and kissed Tails again, bouncing her hips up and down as she felt Tails enter her, grinding against him as she bounced. Tails held her hips in place, thrusting up with her bounces and causing Cream to moan, throwing her head back.

Tails leaned up, keeping them both in a seated position before moving to attack her neck, moving down to kiss between her tits, sucking her right nipple into his mouth. His hands reached down to grab her hips again as her hands wrapped around his head to keep him close.

Soon, Tails fell back, still holding on to Cream and bringing her down with him. He was quick to turn them over so that he was on top, pounding into Cream as she screamed in orgasmic bliss again and again, wrapping her legs around his waits and her arms around his neck.

"Tails!" Cream moaned. "I'm going to... going to cum!"

"Together!" Tails grunted. "I'm so fucking close!"

"T-Tails! AHH!" Cream felt her pussy contract as she climaxed.

"Cream... shit!"

Tails felt Cream's tight vagina clamp down on him and suck him in as he began spurting his seed into her, staying close and pressing his forehead to hers as he made sure to pump in every last drop. Tails soon pulled out, slumping against Cream and kissing her cheek before rolling off of her, laying next to her.

* * *

 **Lemon is over now. Yay!**

* * *

Cream panted from the lovemaking before pulling the sheets up and leaning her head against Tails' chest to snuggle. "Mmm... that was incredible..." She smiled lovingly.

"You always are," Tails smiled back. "Cream... I love you so much."

"I love you too," Cream replied. "Is... is everything okay?"

"I... I just hope that I come back the same man as I am right now," Tails replied. "When I come back, I want to do it all. Marriage, kids, everything..."

"We will," Cream said, holding Tails' hand with her left one, which still bore the shiny gold engagement ring with a small blue gem in the centre of it. "I made a promise to marry you, no matter how long it takes."

Tails smiled, kissing Cream softly. "I love you." He looked deep into her eyes. "I love you so much."

"I love you too..." Cream replied. "I'm going to miss you so much."

"Well, it won't be easy for me either," Tails nervously chuckled. "I'll never stop thinking about you."

Cream giggled and kissed his cheek. "I know." She then yawned. "Well... I'm a little bit tired."

"As am I," Tails said, letting out a yawn of his own. "Let's get some sleep, Cream Prower."

"Cream Prower... I like it," the rabbit giggled. "Goodnight, Tails."

"Night, Cream."

The two then snuggled close and went to sleep.

* * *

 **Sorry it took a wee bit longer than I thought, but here's chapter uno of Love And War! I hope that it was to your liking, and I'll see you next time for either the next Foxhunt chapter or for the next instalment of More Toys. Maybe the former. Until then, take care, and stay tuned.**


	2. Go Sign Up

Tails looked out the back of his transport truck, seeing his soon to be wife weeping as he departed. He smiled at the memories of the previous night, and how he woke up that morning, getting a good breakfast from Cream, as well as a good luck kiss. But most important was what was around his neck.

He opened the silver locket which was Cream's, but given to him before he left to keep a piece of her close. Inside was a picture of Cream and Tails looking at a sunset, with Cream resting her head on Tails' shoulder as they held hands, Cream's left one sparkling with her engagement ring.

The two-tailed fox grinned at that, looking up as he was driven further away from Cream on the truck. He gave one last wave, which she returned, and then he went inside the truck, sitting with several other soldiers.

"Hell of a girl you got there," said the blue hedgehog sat next to him.

"Thanks," Tails said. "Sonic, right?"

"Yeah, you must be the new guy," Sonic replied. "Miles or Tails or whatever."

"Tails is a nickname, but Miles is my real name," Tails said, showing his tails to Sonic. "And I'm called Tails because of this."

"Well, welcome aboard, Tails," Sonic grinned.

"Thanks," Tails smiled back. "So, is there anything that I should watch out for?"

"I'll tell you when we get there," Sonic said. "For now, let's just enjoy the ride. Our driver will go ape-shit on us if we don't keep quiet."

"Right."

The two kept their mouths shut, with Tails earning looks from other soldiers, a mixture of Mobian and human alike. Some of them kept focus on his twin tails, whilst others were making small, whispered comments about his smaller stature and youth.

Soon, they'd arrived at their main base after a long drive. There were twenty tents, which made sense given the amount of transport vehicles that were in Tails' convoy, his own being the last to make it there. All of the vehicles stopped in a straight line, waiting for the soldiers to hop out before driving forwards into their own separate garages which were further beyond the tents.

All of the soldiers looked up to see a black man in his mid-forties wearing a more advanced looking military uniform when compared to the others. He sported a dark grey beard and had many medals and badges on the left side of his uniform, and on his right, above the pectoral, was the name Col. Conway.

"My name is Tyson Conway," he said through a loudspeaker. "You will refer to me as Colonel, Colonel Conway, or sir. You will also refer to your commanding officers by their title, their surname, both, or sir. Is that understood?"

"Sir, yes, sir!" the soldiers and officers bellowed.

"Now, we have some new blood, which is good. For those fighting for the first time, you'll go sign up in your own tents where you'll also find your training schedules. And remember, we all have a common goal: Fight the enemy. I don't care if you guys love or hate each other. When you're under my command, you will learn to get along and fight the good fight. Is that understood?"

"Sir, yes, sir!"

"For those unfamiliar with the enemy, you will find all of the info that you need in your dossiers, which are updated as and when new things come along. You will find out more about this from your officers. And when they tell you to go out and stop the enemy, you will do what?"

"Stop the enemy!"

"Again!"

"STOP THE ENEMY!"

"And again!"

"STOP THE ENEMY!"

"Fucking right we will!" Conway said. "We are the 44th Chimera regimen!"

"CHIMERA! CHIMERA! CHIMERA!" the soldiers chanted, Tails joining along when he gathered what was being yelled out.

Conway held his hands up to calm them down. "Now, Chimeras, get ready to fight!"

"Sir, yes, sir!"

"Dismissed!"

The soldiers then broke off into different groups, with Tails looking around, confused. Luckily, a green crocodile in dark green uniform took Tails' arm and managed to lead him to his tent, not speaking during the process. Tails had soon reached his tent, smiling as he saw Sonic's familiar face there.

"You're Tails, right?" the crocodile asked. "I'm Vector, your CO."

"Yes, I am Tails, sir," the fox replied.

Vector grinned. "Eh, I don't care for the formalities. Just Vector will do."

"But the Colonel said-"

"I know what he said. I just don't care." Vector took out a clipboard. "Now, you're leaning more towards tech, am I right?"

"Communications, specifically," Tails said.

Vector looked over the clipboard. "Says you're quite a wiz kid. You've rebuilt computers, consoles, phones... hell, all sorts. It also says that you're learning some other languages?"

"Just to make sure in case we bump into the enemy," Tails said.

"No need," Vector replied. "The enemy speaks English."

"Really?"

"Yeah," Vector nodded. "In fact, what our good Colonel glossed over was the fact that our enemies used to be allies. They betrayed the regiment and became a terrorist group, and now they reach to other parts of the world, and not really in the best ways."

"I heard," Tails nodded. "The bombing in Spain, the assaults in Egypt, the arson of that mansion in Russia..."

"Yeah, all one group," Vector said. "That is the enemy, and we must stop them."

"I got that from Conway."

The crocodile smirked at that. "So, you're up for communications, but you've trained in fighting, yes?"

"Some basic self-defence stuff," Tails said. "I can shoot a gun too."

"Let's hope that you shoot at the right people," Vector said. "All right, all set. I just need a thumbprint."

Vector then moved to his side, showing a black ink pad. Tails reached out, pressing his thumb on the pad before pressing it against the clipboard next to where he'd put his signature. Once he'd done that, he took the pen from Vector to right his name in really impressive cursive before handing both the pen and the clipboard back.

"All right, you're all set," Vector smiled. "Now, pick a bunk. There's not any sleeping order, so knock yourself out."

"Don't you have to teach us about the enemy?" Tails asked.

"Later," Vector replied. "First part of the schedule is picking a bunk, then breakfast, training, then a briefing where you'll be given your dossiers full of the info you need."

"I know that the folders will tell us what we know, but is there anything that you can tell us that's not in them?" Tails asked.

"That's a good question, but the answer is no," said Vector. "Not until we know more. Conway has all the information that we do, and maybe just a bit more."

"He's not holding out on us, is he?"

"No, he's not," Vector said. "He'll give us that info when he deems it necessary. It might seem counter-productive, but it's worked so far." The crocodile sighed. "Anyway, you'd best get your bed sorted, then meet in the mess hall with the others."

Tails nodded. "Thank you."

"Don't thank me just yet," said Vector. "Thank me when the fight is over."

Tails nodded again, going over to see the bunk-beds, most of which were taken up, except for Sonic, who had taken the top bunk. Tails chuckled and walked over with his bag to set his stuff up, putting the bag under the bed and hopping onto the bottom bunk.

"Hope you don't mind," Sonic said.

"It's cool," Tails replied. "Might keep me grounded."

"Well, you are going for communications," Sonic pointed out. "It's a lot of sitting down and talking."

"What about you?" Tails asked. "What's your role?"

"I'm just part of a fast attack force," Sonic shrugged. "I dunno who else is with me, I just know that my group is meant to get in and out quick. Open the wounds on the enemy before the other forces deepen them."

"That's a pretty messed up way of putting it, but I hear you," Tails said.

"Hey, and no matter what, your contributions will help too," Sonic smiled. "What good is trying to open a wound when we don't have an exposed spot?"

"The tech has to be really good for us to find it," Tails replied.

"Eh, the tech is only as good as the person behind it," Sonic said.

Tails chuckled, and they continued conversing, even getting to know some of the other soldiers a bit better before an alarm sounded. Vector guided them to the mess hall, which was a part of the building that Conway came out from earlier.

The building itself was huge, having multiple training barracks, a mess hall, some offices for the higher-ups to meet and discuss missions, several computer rooms, a couple of shooting ranges, and staircases leading upwards to another section which contained more offices, most notably the Colonel's own office.

Tails was in awe as he took it all in, with some other new soldiers even being impressed by it all. The clean looking black and grey design with spots of dark green gave it an oddly appropriate feel, and the long dinner tables, already rife with soldiers eating their food, looked polished and clean.

Tails went along the line and was given his breakfast, same as everyone else, soon finding a spot to sit at in the crowded hall. Sonic sat next to him, sharing a fist-bump with the fox before they focused more on eating.

Soon, they were finished, and saw other soldiers who were done taking their own leave to the training rooms. Tails saw Vector, who noticed the fox's look of confusion before giving a nod. Tails nodded back, standing up with Sonic before both made their way to the barracks, entering one of the rooms.

They saw many varying types of obstacle courses all around, with some soldiers breezing past and others failing miserably. Still, Tails managed to shake off his nerves, looking around in thought before his friend spoke up.

"What's first for you?" Sonic asked.

Tails shrugged. "I'm thinking something more to do with jumping."

"Ah, good choice," Sonic said. "But you'd best not be planning to use your powers here."

"You have them too?" Tails asked.

"All Mobians do," Sonic chuckled. "I thought that someone as smart as you could have figured that one out."

"Well, I can fly using my tails," the yellow fox said. "You?"

"I can run fast," Sonic said. "I don't know what my top speed is, but I have to tone it down for these courses. Hell, you should have seen me in practise."

"You should have seen me in practise too," Tails laughed. "During the wall climbs, it took everything not to just fly right over the walls themselves."

"Are you two going to train or are you going to keep yammering on?" Vector asked.

"We'll train," Tails replied.

"Not a question I was expecting an answer too, but thanks, I guess." Vector took out a whistle. "On my marks... get set..." He then blew the whistle.

Tails ran through a course that required climbing and jumping, managing to land safely in a sandpit at the end of a long jump. Sonic also had a sandpit at the end of his course too, but his was more speed geared, with hurdles and crawling obstacles too.

Soon, the training was done, and they all had their showers. When cleaned, they went to their tents for their rest period, seeing dossiers on their beds. Tails went over to pick his up, seeing a file on himself, shrugging.

"That's to be expected... let's see... yep, this is all correct about me..." He looked at weaknesses. "Smaller and younger than others, inexperienced despite his intelligence... not much of a fighter..." He kept looking. "A role in communications suits him... he's smart, and more than capable with any form of technology in front of him." He smiled at that last part, looking at the bottom of the top bunk. "How'd you do, Sonic?"

"Eh... same as I've heard before," Sonic said. "Cocky, brash, arrogant... me? Come on." Sonic shook his head. "Anyway, fast fighter, super speed is a help, and has a good background in fighting. Recommended use of faster firing weapons. Also seen as quick on his feet and has good leadership skills." Sonic chuckled to himself. "Yeah, that sounds about right."

Tails chuckled, turning his page. "Enemy group is Five Across The Eye, or FATE. Very ominous."

"You just wait until you see who their members are," Sonic replied.

Tails kept reading. "Former soldiers, now a mercenary group... mainly focused on getting their own agenda across... they chose their name because they were tired of the lies that they were fed, and what the acronym spells refers to them slapping what they knew across the face as a sign of betrayal..." Tails read more. "The FATE part is what they hope to make people realise, wanting them to know that they got themselves into this mess, and there was nothing they could do about it."

"Eh, just sounds like the same old shit to me," Sonic said. "I've dealt with some of these guys before."

"Why don't we just go right after them?" Tails asked.

"I thought you were smart," Sonic smiled. "Truth is, they have as big a base as we do. You know we're the 44th Chimera Regimen? Well, they're the 43rd, and their Colonel is our Colonel's younger brother."

"Wait... Conway... Darius Conway, right?" Tails asked.

"Hit the nail on the head," said Sonic. "It really is a messed up situation. They used to work close together, but Darius got tired of losing, and blamed most of that on Tyson being dead weight. The soldiers they were commanding got tired of their numbers dwindling too, and over only ten months, the former Chimera regimen is one of the biggest threats to our lives."

"FATE... man... they have close ties to our own army... that's a good thing and a bad thing," Tails sighed.

"I get you," the blue hedgehog said. "It's a weird case of knowing your enemy, but we do have an advantage in having new soldiers too. But, then again, they've been doing what they've been doing for a lot longer, and we're more of a task force than an army."

"You think we can still win?"

"Oh, absolutely," Sonic said. Another bell went off. "Looks like it's time for our briefing."

Tails nodded, and Vector gathered all of his men before sending them off to the main building. Tails saw soldiers filing in and out of different conference rooms before following Vector and the rest of his group to one of the rooms on the left. There was a huge, long table, slightly bigger than the dinner ones in the mess hall, and they all had a seat with the exception of Vector, walking to the back of the room and pulling down a projector.

"All right, I trust that you all read your dossiers by now, because I watched you read them," Vector chuckled. "Anyway, this is our current situation," he said. A picture of a dark grey cat appeared on the screen. "This is Hooper. He was sent as a man inside, but hasn't been heard from for a while. We initially kept contact through private phone numbers, but someone over there decided to hack into the line. They didn't trace it back to us directly, but they know that something's up, and Hooper hasn't been heard from in weeks now."

"Why not just send in an attack force?" asked Sonic.

"Where he's being kept is too heavily guarded. They've got turrets and anti-aircraft guns, not to mention snipers."

"What about tanks?" asked another soldier.

"They have those, but in the garage," said Vector. "They use tanks for offence, not defence."

"So, how do we break him out if he's so heavily guarded?" Tails asked.

"I'm glad that you asked," Vector smiled. "You, fluffy, are going to counter hack their phone lines like they did against us."

"And how do I do that?" asked Tails.

"Well, we're going to try and get contact with them. One of the benefits of Hooper being over there is that we have their phone number. We'll set up a call with them. Then you're going to hack and trace it back to where their base is."

"We don't already know with the number?" Sonic asked.

"We almost found out, but that's when our boy got caught," said Vector. "And if we don't do this, we may never get him back, or find out where they are."

"Didn't they stick to one place when the broke off from the rest of us?" Tails asked.

"No, they move frequently," said Vector. "Once every two to three weeks, so they could be going any time soon."

"And they could take Hooper with them..." Tails said.

"Exactly," Vector nodded. "Now, that's all of it. Go rest up before lunch boys."

They all left the room, soon making it back to their tent. They hopped into their bunks, deciding to chatter about their mission, how to go about it, and so on. Tails, however, was on his bottom bunk, looking at his locket when Sonic's head peeked around from the top bunk to see it.

"Miss her, huh?" Sonic asked.

"I do," Tails nodded. "I miss her so much."

"Don't worry," Sonic assured. "You'll get back to her safe and sound."

Tails grinned. "Say, Sonic?"

"Yeah?"

"I know we haven't known each other much, but me and Cream are planning on getting married. Would you like to be my best man?"

"Oh, I'd be honoured, man!" Sonic said. "But first we've got to get out of this safely."

"We will," Tails chuckled.

 **Back and Tails and Cream's house...**

Cream sighed as she waited in the bathroom, looking at the pregnancy test. "It said wait five minutes... still nothing..." she sighed and almost threw it into the trash when she glimpsed at it again, seeing two pink lines. She quickly looked at the box in her other hand, unable to hide her grin. "I'm... I'm pregnant..." She smiled. "I'm pregnant! Me and Tails are having a baby!"

She quickly rushed to her living room, deciding to write a letter to Tails, thankful that she was given the address to his base. "My dearest Tails, the night we made love, you gave me a gift. I can only hope that you return in time to see it. In other words, I'm pregnant with your child. Our child. Boy or girl... it doesn't matter. What matters is that they'll be perfect, just like you and me are together. Lots of love, Cream."

She sealed the envelope, wrote the address on it, and put the letter in her mailbox to be collected before going to her bed, laying back and cheering excitedly as she raised her arms. She then looked to her side to see a framed photograph that was the same picture in Tails' locket. She reached out and took the framed picture, imagining a cute little baby between the two, holding both their hands. She giggled, kissed the picture, put it back, then decided to have a rest of her own.

* * *

 **And another one of these done! I hope that you enjoyed this one, as well as the introduction of certain characters, including original ones. I also hope that I got the military barracks and base thing right, even though it's more of a modern take on it, I guess. Anyway, I'll see you in the next thing I write, whatever that may be. Until then, take care, and stay tuned.**


	3. Communication Is Key

"So, what do you think is going to happen today?" Sonic asked Tails.

"I'm hoping that I can hack into those lines, mostly," Tails said. "That's the main objective, at least."

"You nervous?" Sonic asked, hopping down from his top bunk.

"A little bit," Tails admitted, laying back in his bottom bunk. "I mean, it's not one that runs the risk of anyone getting killed, but it's still a mission that we have to be careful with. We can't afford to slip up when we were already so close."

"Well, we're still waiting on the call," Sonic shrugged. "Assuming that you're free up until that point, want to go grab a drink?"

"Oh, I don't partake," Tails said. "Nothing against you, and I have had it before, but I feel like it's more of a special occasion thing."

"Ah, that's fair," Sonic nodded. "Still, we need to do something to fill the time. It's not like something interesting will appear in the mail."

"Boys!" Vector called. "Mail's in!"

Tails looked at Sonic, who shrugged, as the two got their mail. Sonic opened up his letter first, smiling at it. He turned to Tails and was about to speak about the contents of his mail when he saw the young fox's face.

"Tails?" Sonic asked. "Buddy, what's wrong?"

"I'm... I'm going to be a dad..." Tails said.

"You're... you're serious?" Sonic asked. Tails, without looking, handed the letter over to the blue hedgehog, who took it and read through it. "You really are going to be a dad..."

"I know..."

"Dude... you're going to be a father!"

"I know!" Tails said. "I... I'm so happy!" He hugged Sonic, who hugged him back.

"I'm so happy for you, dude!"

Tails smiled as the hug broke. "What about you? What does your letter say?"

Sonic opened his up again and cleared his throat. "Dear Sonic, Amy here. I missed you like crazy. I know that you wanted to keep the letters short, but I miss you so much, and I can't believe that you've been gone for as long as you have. I hope that all is going well, and I hope to hear back from you soon! Love, Amy Rose."

"The Amy Rose?" Tails asked. "The one that's on all of those toothpaste commercials?"

"You've seen them?" Sonic asked.

"Yeah. You don't forget a smile that beautiful," Tails chuckled.

"She's got a new one planned too," said Sonic. "Man, I'm proud of her. She's come pretty far in those."

"I like their little story," said Tails. "It'd make more sense for you to play her boyfriend in those scenarios."

"Eh, I've got the movie star good looks, but I was too busy studying for the military," said Sonic. "Me and Amy are still going strong, and she still supports me."

"Same with Cream," Tails said. "She's... she's wonderful. Just a pure soul, you know?"

"I know," Sonic chuckled. "Still, man... that's awesome news."

"Do you and Amy have any big plans for it?" Tails asked.

"Well, not yet," said Sonic. "But I'd like to ask her to marry me at some point. I'm hoping that she says yes."

"Me too," Tails smiled. "And who knows? Maybe I'll return the favour for you being my best man."

"Sounds like a plan," Sonic chuckled.

The two enjoyed the rest of their time before the lunch break, all being led to the hall for their food. Tails was quite surprised at the number of food options, with it mostly being healthy stuff to keep the soldiers fit, but there were other things that weren't as healthy, such as burgers, pizzas, and so on.

Tails soon got his food, sitting next to Sonic again, when a couple of the other soldiers came to sit with them. Sonic grinned at the new friends of theirs, recognising their faces, whilst Tails still looked a bit confused.

"Um... who are you guys?" Tails asked.

"Tails, this is Scourge and Espio. Scourge himself is one of the best fighters here besides Knuckles, and Espio is a stealth mission artist," Sonic said.

The green hedgehog shook hands with Tails first. "Nice to meet you, kid."

Espio then shook hands with the fox. "You're this super genius guy, right?"

"I mean, I wouldn't go that far," Tails said. "But I've got a pretty important thing coming up, so I may as well put my skills to the test."

Sonic smiled. "It's good to see you guys wanting to get to know the new kid."

Scourge shrugged. "Hey, make friends with the smart one, you make yourself look smarter."

"Doesn't that fake trick usually only work in high school?" asked Tails.

"Well, good thing we're not in high school," Scourge chuckled.

"That just means that it works less," Espio said.

"Yo, guys!" Knuckles said, sitting down with them. "Scourge."

"Knuckles," the green hedgehog replied.

"You telling the kid that you're a better fighter than me again?"

"No," Scourge replied. "Sonic said that."

"I didn't say you were better than Knuckles, I said that you were one of the best fighters besides him," Sonic shrugged.

"Well, we'll both get a chance to prove it soon for the kid," said the red echidna.

"Hey, I'm not here to observe people fight," Tails said. "I'm here to do my bit and fight the bad guys, just like you."

"And besides, you're not even part of our group," Sonic added.

"Doesn't mean that we can't sit next to each other," Knuckles said. "And besides, just because we're not in the same tent doesn't mean that we're not in the same army."

"You've got a point, and it's not often that you hear those words," said Scourge.

"Hey, no fair," Knuckles replied.

The others chuckled, continuing to eat their lunch, and then after lunch was their second training session. Tails kept his mind on the letter, knowing that the trip can't have been easy, and maybe took a few days or even a full week to reach him. Even then, he was ecstatic on the inside, and also more frightened now.

Soon, everyone was finished with their lunch, finding themselves heading back to their respective barracks. Tails in particular was seen reading his dossier about the enemy, looking over Hooper's file and wondering how he could help.

"Tails?" Sonic asked. "Everything okay?"

"Yeah, just wondering around Hooper," said Tails. "I hope he's okay."

"Hey, we'll get him out when it's time," Sonic said. "We're just waiting on the call. Literally."

Tails chuckled, and Vector walked up to them. "Tails, Conway wants to see you."

"Um... okay, sure," Tails said.

Vector led Tails up to Conway's office in the main building, up the stairs to Conway's office. The crocodile knocked, and Conway said for them both to enter. When they did, Tails got a full look at Conway's features that he didn't get a few days ago, seeing more wrinkles as well as whiteness in his left eye, marred by severe scarring on that side of his face.

"You wanted to see me, sir?" Tails asked.

Conway nodded, looking up from his report to see Tails. "Yes. You're a good kid, I see. I wanted to apologise for what I said about you in your folder."

"Do you believe it?" Tails smirked.

"I have been proven wrong before," Conway said. "I understand that you're not much of a fighter."

"I'll kill if I have to, sir," Tails said. "I just hope that it won't come to that."

"Have you ever seen war before?"

"Yes, sir," Tails nodded.

"So, do you know why those wars are fought?"

"Usually, a conflict of ideals," Tails said. "Sometimes it's about country, about politics, about love if those books I read as a kid are anything to go by. But... I don't know if I've ever even heard about a war as personal as yours."

"You know what my brother did," Conway nodded. "And that's why your mission is more important than you realise."

"How do you mean, sir?"

"The first crack we get through Fate's defences is the first step to beating them," said the Colonel.

"What about your brother?" Tails asked.

"If it ever comes to that, he's mine. I have a lot to pay him back for." Conway pointed to his scars.

"He gave you that, huh?"

"Every last one," said Conway. "It was one of the first times we tried to take one of his bases. I was in the fight myself, not something I usually do, but it was personal. We thought that we had them cornered in one room, but there was a trap. Someone set up a tripwire mine, and... most of my men didn't make it, and the ones who did weren't hole again, as good as our medics are. That's how I got this scar. It reminds me of that day."

"That wasn't your fault, Colonel," said Tails.

"I know it wasn't," said Conway. "But my brother was already too smart by that point. I can't risk another mistake that big. We need to plan this carefully and cleanly."

"Yes, I understand, sir," said Tails. "I'll help out however I can."

"Do you have family, Tails?"

"Yes, I do, sir," the fox replied. "My parents are waiting for me to come back, same with my girlfriend. And... well, I found out that my girlfriend is pregnant with my baby not long ago."

"That's good news," Conway grinned. "I'll tell you this about family, Tails: No matter what happens, through all of your fights and faults, never abandon them. Especially with a kid of your own on the way, you keep that in mind, you hear me?"

"I hear you, sir," Tails said.

Conway nodded, and soon, someone burst into the room. "Sir!"

"Gardiner? What is it?"

"We have contact with the base! We need Tails down in the communications room to see it, sir!"

"Very well. I was just about finished anyway," Conway said, turning to Tails, saluting. "Dismissed."

Tails saluted back, following Gardiner down to the comm room quickly. Tails didn't have time to take in the large circuit boards and the technology behind them as he was rushed to his seat, sitting down and putting on a pair of headphones to listen to the conversation.

"So, that's it?" asked a gruff voice. "You're going to join up with us because you're sick of Conway's regime?"

"Yeah, I can't stand it," said the other voice, who Tails recognised as Scourge. "I'm sick of the way that he runs things, and how he runs us."

"All right. Meet us in a few days. Alone."

Tails, feeling that the conversation was going to end soon, panicked, going over the panels and trying to pin the number down. As he did, Scourge was nudged by someone next to him to keep talking, just in case.

"Wait, I have other questions," Scourge said.

"Make it quick, turncoat."

"I heard that you have another soldier of Conway's there. That true?"

"That's no information that I can divulge," said the gruff voice.

"No, I have beef with the guy," Scourge said, hoping that his lie was convincing enough.

"Oh, yeah?"

"Yeah. Ass-hole stole my girl from me. I thought that I could get along with him in our regimen, but... I'm glad that he's locked up. I just wish that I could be part of that too."

"Look, I appreciate the enthusiasm, but I've got shit to do."

Tails looked and saw all of the wires that tapped into the line, pressing the button on one of them and hearing a louder version of the phone call, causing him to smile as he got it right. He kept listening, looking at the piece of paper and pen next to him to write down the frequency of the number to get the coordinates.

"All right, I understand," said Scourge. "I'll see you soon for the trade."

"Remember, come alone."

"You got it," Scourge said. He then hung up. "Ass-hole."

Tails chuckled at that, thankful that he got the number down. "Phew... that was close."

"Did you get it all?" Gardiner asked.

"Yeah, or at least enough of it," Tails said. "So, what now?"

"Take it up to Conway. He'll be happy with what you did."

Tails smiled and nodded, going up to the Colonel's office and knocking before being allowed to enter, holding a piece of paper in his hand. "Sir, I got the base."

"On your first try?"

"On my first try," Tails nodded. "FATE want to meet with Scourge in a few days. Alone."

"Hmm..." Conway said. "That could be a tricky one."

"How do you mean? He can fight, right?"

"He can, but he can't fight all of them," said Conway. "The moment that his cover breaks, he's a dead man. Or dead hedgehog. We need someone smarter..."

"Like who?" Tails asked.

"You."

"Me? I-I'm not a fighter like Scourge. I can't go in there guns blazing by myself," Tails pointed out.

"You don't need to fight," Conway smiled. "They're more likely to believe a fresher candidate like you."

"But they might know Scourge's voice. His is a couple of octaves gruffer than mine."

"But they haven't seen his face," said Conway. "And that does throw the usage of a newer soldier out the window. Hmm..."

"Maybe I can still help," Tails said. "Scourge won't go in alone."

"What do you plan on doing?" asked Conway.

"Well, with my tails, I can fly really high. I'm thinking that me and Sonic could set up a plan of our own, since he has super speed," Tails smiled. "Yeah... that sounds right..."

"Are you sure?" asked Conway. "Wouldn't it help to get blueprints of the place first?"

"Hmm... we might have to set up another call, but there's no time for that..."

"See, you have good ideas," said Conway. "But you're not the Colonel or a Commanding Officer."

"Our mission is to take FATE down, right? This, right now, is one of the best ways to at least cripple them."

Conway chuckled. "Once again, I like the idea. But it's too risky until we know more. Scourge is our best bet right now, so we need to wait and see what he can give us."

Tails sighed. "All right... okay. I know that I can't go against that, as much as I want to."

"Don't worry. After Scourge has done what he has to, I'll take your plan into consideration, for as slapdash was it was."

Tails chuckled nervously. "Not bad for something off the top of my head, huh?"

"Nope," Conway smiled. "All right, you'd best get back to training, kid. See you when I see you."

Tails gave a salute before turning and heading downstairs, going out to his barracks to meet with the others who were gathering to go to the training course as it was, and later, after they were all done, Tails managed to catch up with Sonic.

"Sonic!"

"Oh, hey, man," the blue hedgehog replied. "What's up?"

"I was talking to Conway, and... well, what do you know about the plan with Scourge?"

"Pretty much everything, with Scourge taking the call, then going to the enemy base under the guise of betraying us. Why?"

"Well... if that goes well, you and me could have a huge role in the next step of taking out their base," Tails said.

"Oh, really? Well, let's hope that Scourge pulls it off," Sonic said. "We should get some rest."

"Yeah..." Tails said. "Oh, I should write to Cream!"

"Knock yourself out, dude," said Sonic.

Tails smiled, getting a letter from the pile where all the documents were and starting to write. "Dear Cream, my sweet love. I can't believe that we're going to be parents! I can't wait to come back and hold our child in our arms. If it's a boy, I hope it'll grow big and strong. If it's a girl, I can only hope that she'll be as beautiful as you are, inside and out. I know that I'll be away for a long time, but I promise to come back to you as soon as I can. If our baby is born before then, I apologise. But you can rest assured that I'll be there. I have a big mission soon, and it's for the best. I don't know what that could lead to, but I'll fight. Not just for country, not just for soldiers, but for you, Cream. I love you. Tails."

He sealed the envelope, putting it onto the pile with others as Sonic did. "You're sending one back too?" Tails asked.

"Oh, yeah," Sonic smiled. "Can't let you hog all the glory."

"Man, we both got lucky, huh?"

"True," said Sonic. "All right, let's get some rest, man."

"Sure thing."

The two then went to get their sleep in their bunks, as Vector called for lights out before heading into the office building, going to see Conway. As he walked up, he saw fellow Commanding Officers leaving the Colonel's room before entering.

"Sir?" Vector asked. "You wanted to see me?"

"Ah, Vector," Conway said. "This is your copy of the mission report. As always, just present it however you will."

"You got it," Vector said.

"Oh, and keep an eye on Tails," Conway said.

"Why? Is he suspicious?" Vector asked.

"No," Conway said. "He came up with a pretty good plan. But we can't act on it until the first phase of the mission is finished."

"You want me to make sure he doesn't jump the gun, so to speak?"

"Yes," Conway nodded.

"Well, I'm his CO. It'll be no trouble."

"Good," Conway smiled. "Now, dismissed."

Vector and Conway both saluted, and soon, the crocodile left the room, going down to the barracks and sorting out the new information of his documents before finding his own bunk and deciding to get some rest of his own.

* * *

 **So, here it is! A bit shorter than normal, but I hope that you guys liked it regardless. The next chapter will focus a bit more on Cream, and maybe some other characters. I'll see you all in either that or the next chapter of either More Toys or Foxhunt. Until then, take care, and stay tuned.**


	4. Letters Home

Cream the rabbit was wrapped up snugly in her bed, a smile on her face. She woke up a few seconds before her alarm sounded off, reaching to deactivate the blaring noise that did nothing do dismay her happiness in any way.

Still in her nightie, she quickly went downstairs, heading to the kitchen. She put the coffee pot on to make herself a drink, adding some milk and sugar for it as well. On cue, as the coffee finished, she looked out her window to see the mailman leaving letters in her box.

"Right on time, as always," Cream said silently.

She put her coffee on a coaster before rushing to the front door. She went to her mailbox and opened it up to get her letters, waving at the mailman as she went back inside, who waved back with a smile as Cream got back inside her house.

She went to her kitchen and started to riffle through the letters, seeing some bills, a bank statement, and finally, the letter she waited for from her soon to be husband. It had been over a month now since he'd left, and she was still worried more often than not.

"Dear Cream, I hope that this letter reaches you. I've been training harder with everyone, and I feel like I've gotten a bit buffer, maybe? Hard to tell. I really miss you. So much. Even with all of the tech that we have here, I could video call you, I could text you, but I like the feeling of my hand on a pen writing down words. I can't fully explain it. Messages can be deleted, call histories can be wiped, and sure, you can get rid of a letter in quite a few ways, but I have a feeling that we're going to keep this ones around. I can't wait to be back with you. We have something big coming up soon, so I'll let you know of any changes afterwards. All my best for my best girl, Tails."

Cream blushed and smiled as she read it. She put that onto the mantle, where she kept other letters of his during his time away. It was a nice little row, all opened and set up in the order in which she received them, and it made her happy to see that she had a fair few already.

She held off on writing one back, however, instead pulling her phone out. "Blaze?" she asked.

"Cream?" the lavender cat asked, yawning. "A bit early, isn't it?"

"Sorry," the rabbit replied. "I'll call you back if you want?"

"No, it's fine," Blaze said. "About time I woke up myself, anyway. So, what's up?"

"Oh, well, I was wondering if you wanted to get some breakfast with me?"

"Is coffee on the line?"

"I just made some," Cream said. "But I can put it off and wait."

Blaze giggled. "Much appreciated. So, why the meeting?"

"I... I miss my Tails so much. I wanted to go and see some friends, since I shut myself out a little bit," Cream admitted. "Does that make me a bad friend?"

"Not at all," Blaze said. "I get why you're scared. I'm going to guess that you just got another letter from your future hubby, huh?"

"Yes," Cream said. "I'm usually worried when it comes to Fridays, since that's usually when the letters from Tails come. But for the past few weeks, I've had a new one each time without fail."

Blaze giggled. "Want to talk about this over some food?"

"So much," Cream nodded. "Isn't there a new place that opened recently?"

"Yep," Blaze nodded. "It's a great cafe. You know where it is, right?"

Cream nodded. "I do. Meet you there in half an hour?"

"Yeah, we'll both finish our morning coffees first," Blaze giggled. "So, don't put yours off, okay? We can still get another anyway."

Cream giggled back. "Sounds like a plan. Speak to you soon."

"Later," Blaze said, hanging up.

Cream did too, and soon got to her own coffee, drinking it down over time. When she finished, she went back up to her room to get changed, going for a light brown tank top with a cute white flower design, along with baby blue jeans and some black shoes.

She quickly made her way back downstairs, getting her purse ready when she got to her living room. She made sure that all was good to go as she pulled her car keys out, leaving her house and locking it behind her.

She hopped into her car, putting the back in the main passenger seat as she hopped into the driver's seat. She gave herself a quick look in the rear view mirror, checking everything over quickly before setting up the GPS to the cafe and starting the car.

It wasn't that long a drive there, but it was good that she took her car anyway, considering the traffic. Thanks to the guidance of her vehicle, she got to the cafe, pulling around to the parking lot and finding a good spot before killing her car's engine, leaving it, and walking over to the cafe itself.

She was about to fire off a text to Blaze as she walked up to the cafe, only to find said cat inside, waving at Cream. "Come on in!" she called.

The rabbit giggled, going over to hug her friend, who hugged back. "You got here quick," said Cream.

"I live closer, it turns out," Blaze shrugged. "I didn't order yet, so whatever you want, I'll pay for. It's no problem."

"Oh, I appreciate it, but I can't accept the offer," Cream smiled. "The last restaurant I was in, because Tails was leaving for the military the next morning, all of our meals were free. It'd feel odd to not pay for my own stuff twice."

"This is the first restaurant you've been in since Tails left?" Blaze asked. "What have you been doing in between all that?"

"Well, mostly growing stuff in my garden," Cream smiled. "It's hard work, but it's nice to eat something like that."

Blaze giggled. "Speaking of things that are growing, how's the baby doing so far?"

"Well, it's still in my stomach, so I haven't really had the chance to ask yet," Cream smiled. "Still, about a month in now. Could be time to try and find out the gender."

"What are you hoping for?" Blaze asked. "A boy or a girl?"

"Hmm... I personally don't care either way, because said baby will be loved to the fullest by me and Tails," Cream said.

"Well, that's a nice answer," Blaze said. "It's also the same answer that most soon-to-be parents give. Come on, give me a proper answer."

Cream giggled. "Well, personally, I'd hope for a girl with both of our traits."

"Aw... a cute little fluffy bunny girl..." Blaze gushed. "That does sound adorable."

Cream laughed. "Oh, stop it. Let's get some food, you."

"What do you want to get?" Blaze asked. "Like I said, I'm paying."

"Hmm... ooh, breakfast muffins sound amazing. I'll take some blueberry muffins and a cup of tea. You know how I like it, right?"

"Of course I do," Blaze smiled. "I'll go get the food for us." She looked at the line at the counter, seeing a free space as a teenage couple just left. "I won't be long."

Cream sat and waited, and as she did, she looked to see the teenage couple go to their table, where a baby girl was sat in a high chair. It was then that Cream saw that it was a Mobian couple, and their baby was a cute puppy. The father of the couple fed the daughter some yogurt, and the little girl clapped and babbled happily.

"Da... dada..." the puppy said.

"She... she said my name!" the father cheered.

The mother blushed, leaning to kiss her husband and then the daughter too. "I love you all so much..." she sniffled.

Cream was unable to hide her own tears, looking down at her small baby bump and putting her hands over it. "That'll be us one day. You, me, and Tails... that'll be us..."

Blaze's footsteps were heard, and Cream snapped out of it as the purple cat sat down, setting the food onto the table. "You okay there, bunny girl?"

"Oh, yeah," Cream nodded. "I was just... looking over at that couple."

"The cute dogs? Yeah, I get what you mean," Blaze smiled. "They've got a cute kid."

"That's going to be me and Tails one day," Cream said, looking down at her bump. "Well, me, Tails, and this little cutie..."

"Seriously, I may actually go sick with how sweet you are," Blaze said.

"But you know you won't," the rabbit winked.

Blaze shrugged. "Who knows?" She opened the bag of food. "You did say blueberry, right?"

"That's right," Cream nodded as Blaze handed her her food. "What did you get?"

"I got me a strawberry jam sandwich and some orange juice, since I'm a bit full of coffee still."

"Smart thinking, and also a healthier choice," Cream giggled.

"You went healthy too, which doesn't change the fact that you're going to be fat soon," Blaze teased.

"But I'll still be cute, right?"

"Oh, totally," Blaze giggled.

The two then ate their food, both surprised with the quality of it considering that it was morning and this was their first meal at this relatively new place. Blaze took the tray which had their food and threw away any wrapping before returning to Cream.

"All right, that's all done. Now what?"

"Well, I don't want to head back home on my own just yet," Cream shrugged. "And I don't want to just have met you for breakfast, as lovely as it's been."

"Hmm... walk around town? Just hang?" Blaze suggested. "We're not really going to get some shopping done."

"Nah, we're really not," Cream agreed. "Let's just walk around. See if I can familiarise myself with this town all over again."

"Yeah, got to get the future baby mama out and about," Blaze laughed.

Cream shook her head playfully as they left the cafe, the purple cat leaving money on the table before their departure, and they walked around town. They didn't really do any shopping, but Cream looked around at some stuff that she felt she was behind on, making a mental note to write those things down when she got home.

After a good half an hour walk around, they decided to take a break before making their next plan of both heading back home. They went back to the cafe, getting some drinks of water to go which were once again paid for by Blaze, and they then went to the parking lot.

"It was good to just walk around," Cream said. "Kinda kept my mind off Tails for a little bit."

"Hey, you've got other friends, you know," Blaze smiled. "They're all here to help, as am I."

"Well, they're not here right now," Cream giggled.

"Hey, you called me," Blaze said, shrugging. "I was more than happy to help either way."

"I know," Cream nodded, going to hug the lavender cat. "Thank you..."

"You're welcome," Blaze smiled, the hug soon breaking. "You take care, okay?"

"Will do!" Cream said. "And when I write this next letter to Tails, I'll be sure to mention you!"

Blaze laughed. "Go for it!" she said, waving goodbye as she got into her car.

Cream waved back and hopped into her own car, waiting for Blaze to leave first before following behind. The two soon broke off to different routes to get to their houses, and soon, Cream was back home in no time, unlocking her front door and going inside.

"Ah... that was a good day. I needed that." She kicked off her shoes and went to her living room, looking around. It had been cleaned recently, so she had little else to do. "Wait... I have a call to make..." She pulled her phone out, dialling a number. "Hello? Dr. Callahan?"

"Oh, Cream!" the doctor replied. "To what do I owe the pleasure?"

"Well, I was wondering if I could make another appointment? I feel like I'm far along enough now that..."

"You want to find out the sex of the baby?"

Cream nodded. "Yes."

Callahan smiled on her end. "Well, I don't have a lot else going today. Just come on up in a few hours if you want, and I'll help however I can. I just have some minor things to gloss over, but it shouldn't take long."

"Okay, I'll see you then," Cream nodded, hanging up.

She watched TV and found other ways to kill the time until that point, like checking on her plants and getting some lunch as well. She debated writing a letter to Tails, but decided against it, choosing to wait until the appointment was over.

Soon, it was time for her to leave. She noticed that the weather had changed since about midday, looking a bit cloudier, but still warm. She put a jacket on anyway, slipping her shoes on too and taking her purse with her, heading to start her car up again.

She drove to the hospital carefully and easily, once again surprised at the lack of traffic. When she got the the parking lot, it took her a while to find a spot to park, an opening only becoming available when she saw an elderly couple leaving, the husband using crutches to help him walk and his wife staying close just in case.

Even though it took the old a while to get to their car, Cream couldn't help but smile. Like with the teen couple at the cafe and their little kid, she saw herself and Tails at this stage at some point in their lives. Old, grey, and still in love with each other.

The old couple were soon moved out of the way, and Cream waved them through as they left the parking lot. She went over and took the now empty spot, exiting her car and locking it before heading for the hospital.

"Excuse me, I'm here to see Dr. Callahan," Cream said, walking to reception.

"Ah, she's expecting you. She's just finishing with someone, so take a seat," the receptionist smiled.

Cream nodded, going over to take a seat. Luckily, even though there were many cars outside, there wasn't many people inside, most of them likely already in rooms. Cream even saw some people leaving as well, leaving more room for others to move around.

She waited and watched the TV mounted on the wall, seeing some news reports and such, before she looked down the maternity wing, seeing the corridor and vaguely making out shadows of people moving around.

She heard the faint sound of a newborn baby crying, and as piercing as it was to her ears, Cream could only imagine that the parents who had given birth were as happy as could be. Once again, something that she would hope to be with Tails someday soon.

Soon, a couple of women, married, walked out, happy that their child was on its way soon. They shared hugs with a female Mobian bear, with dark brown fur and stunning dark blue eyes, along with long brown hair that reached her lower back.

"Thank you so much!" the couple said.

"Oh, it's no trouble," Callahan smiled. "Remember to come back soon, okay? It won't be long until that little guy is born."

The two nodded before leaving, still unable to contain their excitement. Cream giggled at their happiness before turning to Callahan. "Artificial insemination has come a long way, huh?"

"Especially for those two," Callahan nodded. "They tried so hard to get a donor, and I'm glad that they're getting that."

Cream smiled, looking down at her own little bump, standing up and walking over. "I thought you said you weren't busy, by the way. Lots of cars outside."

"True, but other doctors took care of most of that," Callahan shrugged. "And most of those people are here for injuries. There was a major explosion at a factory not long ago. Nobody's dead, but it was close for some of them."

"I saw about that on the news earlier," Cream said.

Callahan nodded. "It's good that they're still alive. And it's doubly good that I'm a maternity doctor and not someone who actually saves lives," she smirked. "Now, come with me."

Cream giggled at the joke, following the brown bear through the office. She looked at the hospital beds, seeing the couple whose baby she heard being born hugging it happily, the pink blanket indicating it being a little girl.

Soon, they were in Callahan's office, and the doctor spoke. "So, you do know that it's rare for the gender to be found out this early in the pregnancy, right? Even in Mobians, it can be a bit tricky."

Cream nodded. "I know. But even if we don't find out, we can still confirm that there's still a baby in me."

"Usually when one's in you, it's tough to get it out," Callahan joked. "And yes, I know what you'll say. Just because it's rare doesn't mean that it's impossible."

Cream blushed. "I just... I want to give Tails the best news that he could come home with..."

Callahan smiled. "How's he doing, by the way?"

"Oh, he has a big mission coming up," Cream said. "Your other half is with that same military, right?"

"He's retired," Callahan smiled. "Used to be an army medic. When Desmond asked me to marry him, I was more than happy to. I'll always remember when he fixed me up after I got mugged. I offered to give him any reward, and he said no to all of them. He just wanted me to be safe, and I was. Still am."

Cream smiled. "It sounds so romantic."

Callahan nodded. "Yeah. But, if I could give you some advice?"

"Oh. Uh, sure," the rabbit said.

"No matter what horrible things happen to Tails, he is still the same man, even if he may not appear to be," Callahan said. "In war, losses happen, lives get lost, and blood gets shed. There are no two ways about it. But what makes things last is how you deal with him coming back home."

Cream nodded. "I know. I just hope that I'm prepared for it."

"See, I like that. You're not saying that you're fully prepared. That's smart, because... well, nobody ever is."

Cream smiled. "Could... could we get this done now? I don't want to think about sad stuff, so please show me something happy."

Callahan smiled. "Just hop onto the table and wait. I'll get the gel and other stuff ready."

Cream nodded, getting onto the table and laying on her back, waiting patiently as she watched Callahan go over some paperwork. Soon, the bear doctor was done, coming over with the gel and the ultrasound scanner.

"You ready?" asked Callahan.

Cream gave a nod, choosing not to answer verbally. Rather, she reached down to lift her shirt up, showing her stomach and the little bump in it. Callahan took some of the blue gel, rubbing it lightly over the rabbit's pregnant stomach before putting the scanner against it.

"Ooh... there's still signs of life for the baby," Callahan smiled, listening with her headphones. "A little kick there, faint as it was."

Cream smiled. "How are things looking besides that?"

Callahan looked closer at the image on the ultrasound. "I can't fully make a lot out yet... wait..." She looked harder, moving her face closer and looking. "I think... it might be a girl..."

"How can you tell?" Cream asked.

"Well, in the case of Mobian couples who are different species, whatever the gender is, the baby will have those more dominant traits," Callahan explained. "I can make out a pair of cute bunny ears, and even a little fluffy tail on her butt. It could just be the image messing up, but... I don't think it is."

"So... I'm having a girl?"

"You're having a girl," Callahan nodded. "You and Tails are having a baby girl."

Cream happily kicked her feet, but soon calmed down. "Oh, this is amazing! And you're sure? I mean, you did say that there could be doubts this early."

"I'm sure," Callahan smiled. "I checked it over a few times to be sure. I'll have to print out some photos anyway, mostly for myself to make sure. Obviously, I can give you a copy as well, if you want?"

"Could I have two? I want to send one to Tails," Cream blushed.

Callahan nodded. "Consider it done."

Cream smiled, getting off the table as Callahan set up the printer. Soon, the photos were printed out, and Cream was given two copies, as promised. With a word of thanks and a hug for the doctor, who returned it, Cream soon left, heading back to her car.

She hopped back inside her vehicle, her step noticeably happier, even more so than usual. She debated telling someone else about it first, but felt like Tails should have been the first to know. With that in mind, she focused on getting back home.

She was soon there, midday starting to set in. She pulled up to her front lawn, parking her car and heading inside her house. Not wasting any time, and too happy to be tired enough for a break, she immediately went to the living room, getting a piece of paper and a pen ready.

"My Tails, my love, my heart and soul. I found out that... we're having a girl! I-I can barely contain my excitement as I write this. But we're having a baby girl! We need to think of baby names. Hmm... Rosemary? After your mother? Or what about something sweeter, like Cherry? I... I'm just so happy! I can't wait for you to get home. In other news, I spend some time with Blaze today, and that was nice. We had a good breakfast and caught up. And I saw a teenage couple there, and they had the cutest little puppy daughter. That's going to be us one day. I know it. I hope that this letter finds you well, as does the ultrasound picture. Callahan let me keep two copies for free. I love you so much. Please get back as soon as you can. Love from your best girl to my best fox, Cream."

She then added a little love heart at the end, along with a little drawing of a rabbit and a fox together before getting an envelope to put the letter in. Luckily, the photo of the ultrasound wasn't huge, so it fit in the envelope as well. Cream made a mental note to post it later, as right now she needed lunch, the smile still on her face combined with warmth in her heart and a cute little baby in her belly.

* * *

 **Aw... wasn't that nice? So, yeah, a much fluffier chapter than I usually write, but Tails and Cream are so dang cute, so it's to be expected. Anyway, I hope that you all liked it, and the next one will probably have some more action in it. I'll see you all soon for whatever my next piece is. Take care, and stay tuned.**


	5. Insider Information

Tails and several other soldiers were at a training course. It was between breakfast and lunch, so they'd had a break beforehand, and all the soldiers were crouched and ready to run in a simple 100 metre dash. On their right, Vector held a starting pistol, raising it up into the air.

"All right, on your marks... get set..." He fired. "GO!"

The soldiers all started to run, Tails being one of the first, surprisingly. As he ran, he took in the other exercise courses, such as relay runs, jumps, climbing, and even shooting ranges and bomb disposal. The run continued, reaching its end faster than Tails anticipated as he came fourth, with Sonic getting first place.

"Yes!" Sonic cheered. "Another ace for me!"

Tails smiled. "Good run there, man."

"Hey, you too," Sonic smiled. "These past couple of days, it's been fun to race with you. You've come so far now."

"I'm not anywhere near your level, though," Tails said.

"You don't have to be," Sonic said. "Just keep working at your own level and work on getting ready."

Tails smiled. "How long did you have to work at it?"

"I took up running as a kid," Sonic said. "It was my best chance against bullies, since I was skinny."

"You still are," Tails playfully sneered.

"True, but I'm taller, and also way more handsome than they are," Sonic smirked. "What about you? Why'd you go for the more intellectual route?"

"I was just drawn more to it," Tails shrugged. "I wasn't too great at physical stuff. Heck, it wasn't until I joined the army that I took that side more seriously. I guess that my work as a mechanic kept me fit enough anyway."

"Mechanic, huh?" Sonic asked as they reached a table with water, taking a cup each.

"Yep," Tails nodded. "I got my start with that, then moved on to electronics and communications down the line. I still fix the odd car here and there to keep my hands greasy."

"Speaking of work, today's the day, right?" Sonic asked.

"Yeah... Scourge going to their base," Tails said.

"It's risky, but hell, you pulled managed to get the whole thing down pat," Sonic said. "It's all up to the others to get it right now."

"Yeah, because that doesn't put any pressure on me," Tails sighed. "What's next?"

"Just go to the barracks, I think," Sonic said.

"Not so fast," said Vector. "Running's not your only exercise of the day. Keep it moving!"

The two sighed, going through the rest of the courses, even sharing it with those from different tents and barracks. When they were all done, Tails and Sonic returned to their own tent, heading to their bunks with Vector not far behind.

"Don't get too comfortable," said Vector. "You've got to get a briefing for the mission today."

"What, we can't read our mail first?" Tails asked.

Vector smiled. "You've got time for that. Go for it." He pointed out the pile and handed them out, starting with Tails and Sonic before going over the others.

"All right, what do we got..." Tails said. He looked over his letters, and noticed that one of the bigger ones. "Huh... this is different..."

"Maybe it's some underwear?" Sonic asked.

"Why would you say that?" Tails asked, seeing Vector leave after giving the letters out.

Sonic showed a pair of boxers. "Amy sent me some spares. I don't really know why, but you can never be too safe."

Tails opened his letter, and before reading it, he noticed a photo fall down. He quickly bent to pick it up, sitting back on his bunk as he did. He felt a tear well up in his eye, but he smiled, kissing the photo in question several times.

"What is it?" Sonic asked.

Tails turned the picture, but then saw the back of it. "We're... having a girl..."

Sonic looked at the picture, smiling warmly. "She... looks so small... and cute..."

"She takes after her mother..." the yellow fox chuckled. He then read the letter that he got from Cream, smiling. "That's so cute..."

"What?" Sonic asked.

"Cream talking about how she saw all these other families," Tails smiled. "Said that that'll be us one day. I... I sure hope so."

Sonic put a hand on Tails' shoulder. "I hope so too, buddy. Come on. Let's get to the briefing room. See what's in store for us."

Tails nodded, starting to head to the main building with Sonic. "You know, I'm surprised that we managed to keep lying to FATE for all this time. You'd think that they would have sensed that something was up."

"Oh, Scourge is a very good bullshitter," said Sonic. "Thing is, as much as FATE hate Conway, Darius does still hold a little bit of respect for the rules of war. He's not just going to straight up bomb us to hell and steal Scourge just because we've been lying. He understands that it might not be easy for Scourge to escape from here because, for the most part, it was hard for Darius to get people from Conway's side to follow him."

"Guess he just doesn't have the good heart, leadership, or amount of sanity as Conway," Tails chuckled.

"Oh, he's sane, all right," Sonic deflected. "Just not the right kind."

The two soon made it too their briefing room, seeing others sat there already as a presentation was in progress. Tails and Sonic took their seat as Vector went over the presentation, showing a picture of Hooper, but a different one from when Tails first saw it.

Last time, Hooper's face looked normal, his head shadowed against a military backdrop for his photograph. This new picture was much more horrifying, showing a view from on high in which the grey cat was facing the floor. dim lights showing some recent bruises and cuts on his body.

"This is a more recent picture of Hooper," said Vector. "From what we can gather, it might not be as recent as it appears. Sources say that it's at least a week old, maybe more."

"So, not long before Tails got here, huh?" Sonic said.

"Not far off there, soldier," Vector replied.

"So, what do we do now, sir?" Tails asked.

"We carry on the day as normal," said Vector. "That is, until Scourge fakes the trade."

"Actually," said Conway, entering the room, "the trade won't be fake."

"I'm... sorry, sir?" Vector raised an eyebrow.

"Scourge will be joining FATE, but he'll be feeding us information as best as he can," said Conway.

"Are... are you sure?" asked Tails. "It's a big gamble."

"Well, he's going to be there anyway," said Conway. "But an operation like this isn't one and done. We can't have him go there, fake join, then come back. People will get suspicious, and Scourge could wind up dead."

"If he winds up dead from just going in and getting out, what do you think will happen if he's there for weeks, or even months, and gets found out then?" Vector asked. "They won't just kill him. They'll do worse to him than what they're doing to Hooper."

"I know that it's a risk," said Conway. "But at this point, risks might just be our only option. You know how much Darius has taken from us. If we give him the illusion of power when he doesn't have it, he'll get in over his head. That will be our time to strike, and Scourge is just the right man to take that risk. After all, it wouldn't be the first time he's put his life on the line for us."

Vector nodded reluctantly. "I guess you're right. And you are the Colonel, so I won't argue further."

"Thank you," Conway said. "Now, please, continue with your presentation."

The green crocodile nodded and cleared his throat, moving to the next slide, showing a picture of some white brick walls. "This was from the same day of Hooper's beating, and it came from Darius himself right to Conway."

"He sent it as a threat," said Conway. "Nobody occupies those types of cells yet, because they're specifically for heavier forms of torture. Having said that, that doesn't mean that Hooper hasn't visited that place yet. Anything's possible at this point."

"Wait, how are we getting this information if Hooper's been caught out?" Sonic asked. "Can't we send another private phone number to him?"

"We could, but FATE is getting weary of that fact," said Vector. "If we try something like that this late, they'll catch on."

"And to answer your first question," Vector said, "Darius has sent these things directly to Conway, since they still have some contact."

"Darius will know that we've seen these and are planning something, then," said Tails.

"More than likely," said Conway. "Which is why we have to be as careful as we can be. I can't let Darius catch me out for trying to deceive him, much like Scourge can't risk being caught out."

"Exactly," Vector agreed. "As risky as it is, it's also a well-thought out plan, even if it doesn't seem like it on the surface."

"It's like I told Tails," Sonic said, "Scourge can bullshit his way through it long enough. Let's just hope that he doesn't have to do it for too long."

"Well, you all have your orders," Vector said. "You're dismissed."

"Not all of you," said Conway. "Tails, I want to see you in my office. And Vector as well. Don't worry. You're not in trouble."

The two nodded, following the colonel to his office as the others left to go back to their barracks. Tails watched them from a window, even waving at Sonic, who waved back with a smile. Soon, Tails and Vector were both inside of Conway's office, sitting down as the colonel took his own seat.

"So," Conway started, "my plan..."

"Yes... the plan," said Vector. "Sir, you know that I'll follow along with it, but there is a point where it seems too risky."

"Yeah," Tails agreed. "It's like when we talked the other day. I still feel like that plan might be better, but we're not going with my plan."

"I decide those plans," said Conway. "As I told you, Tails, I like your plan. But the one that we have is our better chance."

"I know..." the yellow fox replied.

"And besides, you're still having a part in it," said Vector. "After we get what we need from Scourge, you and Sonic are going to add onto the plan. Like you said, we have a chance to severely damage them. May as well do it when the time is right."

"Even though they'll recognise Scourge's voice, that's the point," said Conway. "That means that they're meeting who they intend to meet. We just need to keep up the illusion that Scourge isn't one of ours."

"See, I get that," Tails nodded. "But the more that I hear the plan, the more dangerous that it sounds."

"And I understand that," Conway. "And I know that it sounds like I'm just lording over my rank over you. I'm not trying to. I'm just trying to help you see that this plan is our best option, and even if it doesn't live up to your expectations, it's the closest thing that we have."

"I... I'm sorry..." Tails said. "I didn't mean to be selfish about it. I just... I want people to be safe. Our people, specifically."

"You've said that you can fire a gun if need be," Vector said. "That need might come soon."

"But that need won't be right now," said Tails. "I'm thankful for that."

Conway nodded. "Indeed. I'm sorry for all of this. But you need to understand that this is our best course of action at this moment."

Tails nodded. "I know. And like I said to you, I want us to cripple them somehow. I just didn't expect it to be like this."

"You have a girl back home, right?" asked Conway.

"Yeah," Tails smiled. "I got a girl to marry when I get home, and a baby girl on the way. Why?"

"It's important to have something to go back to," Conway smiled. "I know that I said this before, but you need to remember that."

The two-tailed fox seemed concerned. "Are you suggesting that Scourge is more expendable?"

"No," Conway said, his voice steady and not defensive. "Because he does have a girl of his own. And you know why I'm sending him in there."

"I know, but there are others who have families as well," Tails said.

"And not all of them will make it back," said Conway. "I'm sorry to break it to you, Tails, but that's how war works. People die, people who have families. Parents, siblings, husbands, wives, children... there are a great many of those who have to receive the sad news that their soldier isn't coming back home. At least, not in one piece."

Tails nodded. "I know that."

"It's difficult to have friends here," said Vector. "Or in anything to do with war. But you will lose people close to you, Tails. That's just how it is."

"I-I know that," Tails said. "But that doesn't make it easier."

"It's not supposed to," Vector said, glibly.

"I know that it'll happen," Tails said. "In war, violence is inevitable. But I'm not going to feel just nothing if... when... my friends die."

"That's all that I needed from you," said Conway. "It's not easy to accept. But you knew that coming here in the first place, right?"

"I did," Tails said. "I still do know that, as much as I want to forget it. But I know that I can't. I know that I have to put that aside if this is to go smoothly."

Conway smiled. "That's good, Tails. That's a big step up."

"Thank you, sir," Tails said, sincerely. "I'll try to be a bit more mature about it."

"I know," the colonel said. "Anyway, that's all that I have to say. You'd best ready up."

"What for?" Tails asked.

"We need you in the comm room to make sure that the transition goes smoothly," said Vector.

Tails nodded. "Right... that makes sense."

Conway smiled. "Get going. You're dismissed. Now get to work."

"We need you to reestablish the line with the enemy base, just in case," said Conway. "Just to make sure that it all goes smoothly."

"Scourge has a tracker," said Vector. "It has voice recognition. It's also one of the ways that he's going to feed information back to us."

"Ah, that makes sense," Tails said. "He'd best be careful with his words."

"Indeed," Conway smile. "You'd best be on your way."

Tails nodded, standing up to salute Conway, who did the same. Vector also saluted, and started to leave, with Tails following behind. Vector led the yellow fox to the communications room, where some people were already, taking in calls and watching video footage. Tails took his seat, putting on a headset as Vector stood behind him.

Scourge, meanwhile, was waiting on the inside of the base for the gates to open. He was on one of the base's bikes, sat on it and revving it up. Soon, the gates were fully open, and Scourge took his leave, heading for the FATE base, already knowing the coordinates thanks to the phone conversation being tracked.

The green hedgehog soon arrived at his destination, and as he cut the engine off on the bike, he stood back and looked around at the area. It looked like Conway's own military base, but a bit rougher around the edges. The more greyish metal of Conway's base was contrasted with a more sand-coloured look for Darius.

Another different was the logo of FATE. On the front gates was what appeared to be a cracked skull with a sick smile, with what looked like a black hand-print across the eyes, with all five fingers appearing, only further living up to the disturbing implications of the group that it represented.

"Yo!" Scourge called out. "I'm from Conway's base! I'm the guy that's switching sides!"

"Scourge, right?" came a voice on the intercom.

"Yep, that's me."

The gates opened suddenly, and several soldiers walked up, keeping their guns trained on Scourge. As they did so, Scourge got another look around, not surprised to see that the inside of the base was similar to the outside, only with more of FATE's logos covering various doors, windows, and so on.

"Um... where do I park my bike?" Scourge asked.

"We'll take it," said one of the soldiers. "You're to go to the prison cells."

"Oh, a new job already, huh?"

"You have someone to settle a score with, right?" asked the other soldier. "Some cat named Hooper?"

Scourge nodded. "Yeah. That son of a bitch..."

"Best get going. He's all tied up, waiting for you."

Scourge nodded again, following the signs to reach the holding cells. He knocked on the door to be let in, and the person on the other side recognised him, opening the door for him to enter. The green hedgehog stepped through, looking at the grim conditions of the cells as he was led through.

"Well... this looks like a friendly place," said Scourge.

"You'll get used to it," said the warden. "Just keep following me."

Scourge sighed and kept following, being led past a few of the rooms before noticing that the lighting was getting darker. He was turned to his right and taken through one of the cells, going to the back wall and passing the door that led to something that he wasn't expecting.

"You keep the torture rooms behind the cells?" Scourge asked.

"Well, we had to make do with what little room that we had," the warden shrugged.

"Do the prisoners get to sleep?"

"Only when unconscious, or when it's nighttime, where we bring them all back through to sleep." The warden then pointed to the door. "Hooper's through there. Go say hi."

The green hedgehog passed through, seeing two familiar faces: One was Hooper, sat in the chair, spitting out some blood and coughing as some water was splashed over his head. He regained his vision, looking up to see Scourge, but didn't show any emotion.

The other face was Darius Conway, the younger brother of Tyson Conway, and leader of the FATE organisation. Scourge gave Darius some silent regard as he saw him cleaning his hands of blood, his knuckles appearing a dark red colour.

"Ah, you must be the new guy," Darius said. "You know, any time that anyone stabs my brother in the back, I'm happy."

"What about beating up traitors?" Scourge asked.

"That also makes me happy, but it wears me out," Darius smiled. He reached to shake hands with Scourge, who nodded and did it back. "Welcome to FATE, soldier." He turned back to Hooper, then Scourge. "Get to work."

The green hedgehog nodded as Darius left, reaching to take his phone out and type something quickly to show to Hooper. "Hey, look..."

Hooper instead spat blood on the phone. "Get the fuck away from me..." he growled.

Scourge wiped the blood from his phone, using his other hand to lift Hooper's face. The grey cat got a good read of the text, which read "I'm only pretending to be part of this to get you out of here and take this base out. Also... this'll hurt."

Scourge was thankful that Hooper didn't read it out loud, then he got rid of the message. He gave a knowing look to Hooper, who just nodded. Scourge took a breath and reared back his right hand, fist closed, before bringing it forward and smashing into Hooper's nose.

The chair that Hooper was strapped in fell to the side from the force of the punch, and Scourge took a moment to see Hooper in the light. The cat was clothed, but wearing nothing but rags. His feet were bear, bloodied thanks to being cuffed together, and his wrists were in a similar condition.

Scourge then picked Hooper back up in the chair, before punching him back down again. "Man, you're weak..."

He mounted up on Hooper, raining down punches on the poor cat over and over until he stopped, every fist making a pummelling sound until finally, Hooper was unconscious, his head turned to the side as he slept, courtesy of Scourge's beat-down.

"That's for stealing my lady..." He then leaned down and whispered. "I'll get you out of here. I promise."

He then grabbed a paper towel to clean his hands before leaving Hooper behind, passing through the cell and leaving the prison area in short time. He looked around for the barracks and tents, and went over to the nearest one, the soldiers noticing him as he came by.

"So," Scourge started, "where do I sleep?"

* * *

 **And that's it for another chapter! I had fun writing this one, and it went to a few places that I didn't expect it to. I don't know what the next chapter of this will focus on, but I know that I'm looking forward to writing it. I'll see you then. Take care, and stay tuned.**


	6. If These Walls Could Talk

Night was beginning to fall, and Scourge was sat up on his bunk in the barracks. Unlike with Conway's base, the beds at Darius' base were all single beds, and nobody shared anything. Scourge himself was fine with that, as he wasn't looking to get too attached to anyone there.

"I dunno... I don't think we can trust him," said a male yellow cat nearby, his accent tinged slightly Irish.

"You think?" asked his female friend, a black hawk. "He's from Conway's side. Coming over so quick? I don't buy it?"

"You guys know that he can probably hear you, right?" said a third, more quiet voice. It belonged to a male red chameleon. "Does it matter if we can trust him? Consider our boss and our entire motivation: We're only doing this because we've betrayed someone else. And nobody asked us any questions."

"They did that because we came here together, Chase," said the cat. "Solo entries are a lot rarer, especially nowadays. We have to get him to prove himself..."

"This late at night?" Scourge asked. "What else is there to do? What, are you going to hold me down on the bed and beat the shit out of me? Is there a possibility of you guys using socks with heavy objects in them, like pool balls or soap?"

"Told you so..." Chase said.

"We weren't talking to you, green boy," said the hawk.

"Look, Jai... it is Jai, right?" Scourge asked.

"So, you've been paying attention?" Jai scoffed. "Or did you look up my file back at Conway's base?"

"Attention, mostly," said Scourge, turning to face them more directly. "Back when I was looking at info for you guys, it only said about the bases. It said nothing about how absolutely fucking annoying you guys could be." He looked to Chase. "Not so much you, though."

"There are no friends in this base," the cat said. "Least of all when it comes to newbies."

"Newbies?" Scourge smirked. "Son, I might not be much older than you, but I know that I'm bigger, stronger, and way smarter. And I've got a lot more experience doing this kinda thing too."

"Don't you dare call me son, boy," said the cat.

"Well, I never did catch your name. Which is ironic, because out of you three stooges - again, not so much the chameleon - you seem to really like the sound of your own voice."

"It's Daly."

"Well. Daly, Jai, and Chase, it's nice to meet you all. But if you're going to beat me up, then do it now, or do it tomorrow at lunch and try to cause a giant food fight while you're at it. For the love of Pete, please, do not beat me up in me sleep. Because I will most likely kill you. And, given the vibe that I've been getting from this base, I feel like one of Darius' own soldiers being killed by another soldier is just something that he can let slide."

"It wouldn't be the first time..." Chase mumbled.

"Are you trying to get us in trouble?" Jai asked.

"No, you got in trouble when you started talking about me and distrusting me," Scourge said. "I'm glad that none of you actually said my name, because it sure ain't Dick, so keep it out of your mouth." He then looked at Chase. "Once again, not so much you. You're good."

"Thank you..." Chase said, unable to stifle a chuckle at Scourge's insult.

"So," Scourge said, "are we doing this? Because if we are, I want it over with now, and not during some dumb-ass sneak attack or when I'm trying to sleep."

Daly grunted. "You're getting off lucky this time."

"Trust me, luck's got nothing to do with it," said Scourge.

Jai then checked her radio as a voice came through, sighing. "Great... I've got late night guard duty on the prison cells again..."

"Well, you have the eyes of a hawk," the green hedgehog smiled. "It's nice to see you being good at something that doesn't involve pissing me off."

"The only one pissed off here is me," Jai said.

"I know. That's why I'm smiling."

The black hawk was about to snap, but bit down what she was about to say, mumbling to herself as she left with some other soldiers who were waiting. As they did, Daly stepped closer to Scourge and chuckled.

"This base is going to eat you alive," he said.

"Well, I hope that there's enough of me to go around, because there is a lot of ass-holes to feed here," Scourge replied.

Daly chuckled, turning back away before swinging a sucker punch. It caught Scourge right on the cheek, and he stood still, his face looking at the floor before turning his head back and simply smiling again.

"Good," he said. "We're actually getting this out of the way now." He turned to Chase. "You might want to back away. It could get messy."

Chase nodded quickly before backing away, heading for his bunk, only to be stopped by a wall of soldiers. Several of them gathered in a circle, somewhat forcing Chase to be part of it as they saw the fight starting to take place, both participants taking up fighting stances and circling around each other.

"You know this is your last chance to back down, right?" Scourge said.

"Well, it's like you said," Daly replied, "you wanted to get this over with. And lord knows that I ain't going to lose much sleep over you being knocked the fuck out."

"Well, give it your best shot, son."

Daly moved forward with a straight punch, but Scourge quickly stepped to his side. Daly recovered his balance and swept his left leg under himself, hoping to knock Scourge's legs out from under him, but Scourge jumped up and to the side, only to be narrowly caught with Daly's right leg.

"Ooh!" Scourge said. "You're a quick one. I'm going to have to watch you carefully."

"Are you always a smart-ass?" asked Daly.

"Only when I'm awake," Scourge said. "But I have a tendency to talk in my sleep sometimes."

Daly chuckled a bit and moved to attack again, swiftly faking to his left and landing a quick body shot to Scourge. The green hedgehog anticipated the next attack and caught Daly's hand, throwing his weight into a shoulder barge that knocked Daly back, but not down.

Scourge moved forwards again, lifting his right leg and faking a high kick only to push his foot against Daly's sternum. Daly winced a bit from the blow, but caught the kick, pulling Scourge close and landing a swift elbow to the side of his head.

Scourge backed away, dazed from the shot. He rubbed the side of his head, groggily getting back into a fighting stance. He threw a weak punch at Daly, knowing that the cat would slip away, and in turn, he faked it down into a knee right for Daly's stomach, landing flush and causing him to almost fold in half.

Daly tried to regain his balance a bit. "Ouch..."

"Too much for you?" Scourge asked.

Daly was about to reply, but turned to heave, almost gagging. He stood up and was about to speak, but instead rushed off to find a bin or anywhere where he could vomit without being noticed. Of course, the sounds that came from him didn't really help.

"So..." Scourge spoke into the empty air, "did I win?"

"I think so," Chase smiled. "I've been wanting someone to shut that guy up. He's more annoying than that other Irish fighting dude."

"Oh, yeah, that ass-hole," Scourge nodded. "It's weird. I wasn't expecting much niceness in a place like this."

"What, you think that just because we're the bad guys, we can't be friends?" Jai asked.

"I guess there's not harm in that," Scourge said. "Doesn't matter what base I'm in. Camaraderie is everywhere."

"Well... maybe more here than with Conway and the Chimera unit," said Jai. "Glad I left them when I did..."

"Why? Did something happen?"

"We should talk about it when we're not so crowded," said Chase.

"Well, we're all here for the same reasons, right?" Scourge asked. "Whatever you can say to me you can say to the other soldiers here, because they probably already know why you're here."

Jai nodded. "That's fair enough." She leaned against a wooden post. "Our group in particular was part of one of the Chimera regiments. We were a bomb squad. We had a mission to save people from a minefield, and we were going to complete it. An assault force of ours went ahead and tried to take out any attacking forces... but they were too smart."

"There was an ambush waiting the whole time," Chase added. "We first got word that the explosives were mostly on the outskirts of the base. But they dug tunnels underground when things got closer, and a suddenly, a lot of those dug out holes exploded. They had more mines under there." He took a small breath. "We should have known that it felt almost too easy, you know?"

"What happened?" asked Scourge.

"We avoided getting pulled under," said Jai. "We'd almost done our job, and we asked Conway to let us pull out, but... he insisted on us staying. He wanted us to save those people at the cost of our lives. He was throwing us away."

Scourge's jaw tightened. He knew that Conway could do something like that, sure. But he didn't want to say anything that would expose himself, and at the same time, he didn't want to besmirch Conway's name, as much as he should have given his cover.

"Were there casualties?" asked Scourge.

"There... there wasn't just mines under those holes..." said Jai. "They had suicide bombers too. Hell, if one of us hadn't gotten lucky, the entire ground around the base would have done under as a fail safe."

"Daly cut one of the wires that stopped what would have been a huge chain reaction explosion," Chase said. "It didn't stop the bodies from piling up. It just barely stopped the number from hitting triple digits."

"Were there vehicles of Conway's there?" asked Scourge.

"No," said Jai. "He knew that was too much of a risk, given that we didn't know where all of the mines were. Not even Conway knew, so that wasn't his fault."

"Wow..." Scourge said. "So, you said that Conway told you to stay, right?"

"Yeah..." Chase said. "There... there wasn't many people left to pick up. Me, Jai, Daly, some of the other guys here... shit, some of the guys here are lucky to be standing. They got lucky in the assault."

"And what about you guys?" Scourge asked. "Did you get lucky too?"

"Not completely," said Chase. "We both got a couple of bullet wounds here and there, same with Daly."

"Well... Daly got the luckiest end of the stick," said Jai.

"What happened with him?"

"Well, you know how you kicked him in the stomach and he heaved like that?" Chase asked. "How hard would you say that kick was?"

"I mean, as hard as I could make it. Why?"

"Well, during one of the pitfalls of the assault, one of our soldiers fell, still squeezing his trigger. One of the stray bullets hit Daly right in the stomach."

"The doctors did their best," said Jai, "and they got it out of him. Patched him up good. But he's not really been the same since. He's gotten better lately, though."

"Better how?" asked Scourge.

"Well, that was his first sober fight in a while," Jai said.

"He drinks?"

"We all do. There's plenty of beer to go around here," Jai smiled. "You don't have that at your base?"

"No, it's just... well, he's Irish. I feel like there's a cruel stereotype there that he drinks and fights people," Scourge said, scratching the back of his head.

Jai bit her tongue, holding back a small chuckle. "The point is, he has trouble trusting people as it is. At least when we all signed with Darius, we all knew who almost got us killed. Daly doesn't see you as one of us yet."

"How do I convince him?" Scourge asked.

"You don't have to," said Chase. "Just convince Darius by working with the rest of us, and you'll do fine."

Scourge nodded. "Daly does realise that there's no such thing as a casualty-free war, right?"

"He does," said Chase. "He just didn't see the need for us to get hurt because of Conway's orders. That's why we all left, and because we were all caught up in that situation, it didn't take much convincing to bring us over here."

Scourge nodded, turning his head to see Daly returning, wiping his mouth. "Ugh..."

"You okay?" Jai asked the yellow cat.

"I'll be all right..." Daly turned to Scourge. "You... you're a good fighter."

"Thank you."

Daly chuckled. "Man... way to beat your commanding officer on your first night here..."

"Shit, really?" Scourge said. "How the hell are you the CO?"

"He isn't," said Jai. "I am. Daly pulls that joke all the time when he loses fights. So... pretty much all the time."

"So, you're the one who decides when we all go to sleep?" Scourge asked.

"Damn right I do," Jai smiled. "And that time is... now."

Daly was on his way to his bed, but Jai put an arm on his chest to stop him, and he looked up at her. "What is it this time?"

"Try to take it easy on the new guy."

"So, no soap in the socks or however he put it?" asked Daly.

The black hawk rolled her eyes. "Just get to bed, Daly."

"Yes, ma'am."

Scourge overheard the exchange, and felt a tiny smile touch his lips. Jai then turned to face him. "What are you looking at?"

"Oh, just wanted to ask if I could use the bathroom," the green hedgehog said.

Jai nodded, pointing it out to Scourge. He thanked her before heading over there, going into a small building where he saw another soldier exiting. Scourge gave him a slight nod before heading to a cubicle, sitting on it and locking the door.

He quickly typed the private number, sending a text out. "Hey. Scourge here. Just barely got time, and I should be asleep. But Hooper is safe, even if I did have to beat him up a little bit. I haven't gotten a whole lot else, but some of the soldiers who used to be with Conway said that he put them in danger. I don't know how this'll help, and I doubt that it's true. Anyway, they don't fully trust me, and for good reason. I'll work my way up and keep sending you info as best as I can. Also, I met Darius. He was torturing Hooper before I could. I let Hooper know that things would be okay. I just hope that I didn't get found out. I'll send you more as I get it."

He then sent it before grabbing some toilet paper and cleaning his hands. He went about the rest of his ablutions before leaving the bathroom, heading back to his tent where he saw the other soldiers sleeping. He quickly hopped into his own bunk, which he shared with Chase, and soon went to sleep.

* * *

 **Back at Conway's base...**

Tails was sat in the comm room, a coffee next to him as he tried to stay awake when a red blip appeared in front of him. "Finally..."

Vector, stood next to him, smiled. "Yeah... what is it?"

"Text message," Tails said. He read it aloud, and Vector stayed along with it too. "Huh... three of theirs were put in danger?"

"I remember that attack," said Vector. "I read up about it."

"What do you know?" Tails asked.

"Conway didn't put them in any danger that he didn't feel like they could handle," said Vector. "I mean, they were a bomb squad. If they didn't want to put their own lives on the line, they shouldn't have even signed up, let alone signed up for the most dangerous position in the corps."

"So, you say that Conway didn't mean to endanger them, but that they were throwing their lives away anyway?" Tails asked, confused.

"Tails, we've had this conversation before," Vector said. "You know that nobody gets out of this line of work without being hurt or worse. It wasn't Conway's fault that those soldiers were in that danger. The surprise attack made things worse."

"And what else happened during the surprise attack?"

The green crocodile gulped. "Conway asked them to keep disposing of the bombs, even knowing how bad it could have gotten. They were almost finished, but Conway didn't want the job half-assed. He wanted it to be fully done, because he knew that Darius wouldn't have been prepared for that."

"How do you mean?" Tails asked.

"Well, up until that point, we'd gotten lucky," said Vector. "That was one of our first attacks in a while, and even with their ditches that were filled with more explosives, we made it out okay."

"And you know this... how?"

Vector sighed. "Conway told me. And yes, he regrets it. He needed a win, okay? And he still does. We need a big win over Darius, and ever since that incident, we've learned that taking little potshots is getting us nowhere. If we want to take out Darius, we need to do it with one fell shot."

Tails sighed. "And Scourge is our best chance right now, huh?"

"Not just him," Vector smiled. "You're the one who got us the info in the first place, and you're the one who came up with the plan."

"The plan that isn't mine but it's Conway's?"

"It's a little spin on yours," Vector said. "I know that you had the best intentions. But that doesn't stop wars, kid."

Tails nodded and yawned. "I know..."

The crocodile turned to him. "Look, we got a bit of information back. You go and get some sleep, okay?"

Tails looked at the time and nodded. "Okay..."

The two-tailed fox then stood up, leaving the communications room. He headed for the tent, where some soldiers were either asleep or just about to go to bed. One of the ones still awake was Sonic, and Tails went over to him to see what he was hunched over.

"What's up?" Tails asked.

Sonic looked up at the fox. "Oh, hey, Tails. I... I was just writing a letter for Amy."

"You tired?"

"No, you're tired," Sonic said, yawning. "All right, we'll both get to bed after we're done, okay?"

Tails chuckled, using the small light that was still on and getting a piece of paper, starting to write. "Cream, my love, I'm happy to report that the first night of the mission was a success in some ways. Scourge was the one who left us ultimately to fake joining the enemies, and I had to pull a late shift to make sure that we got some information back. As tired as I am, though, I'm still thinking of you. I can't wait to get back home to you. I love you so, so much, and I can't wait to hold our child together with you. My heart, my soul, my love, Cream... I love you."

He then sealed the letter, put it into an envelope, and placed it on the mail pile to be delivered. A few minutes later, as he was about to curl up and go to bed, Sonic did the same thing, soon hopping onto the bunk with Tails.

"Night, Tails," said the blue hedgehog.

"Goodnight, Sonic," Tails smiled in reply.

* * *

 **Meanwhile, back home with Cream...**

The rabbit herself was yawning as she saw the time. She was sat in front of her TV, having just binged through a romantic show that she liked, before deciding to call it a night. She turned it off, cleaned up what little mess she'd made, and went to her bedroom.

She got in a quick shower before putting on a nightgown and reentering her room. As she did, she went over to her bedside drawer, opening it up and pulling out a photo of Tails. It was during a test wearing to see if his uniform would fit him, and Cream giggled. She then blushed as she thought of what happened five minutes later, but shook it off and moved to the next one.

She saw more and more pictures of him, realising how much more she missed him each time. However, she smiled, knowing that Tails would come back just fine. The letters, the pictures, and the updates all let her know that he was okay.

Still, Cream sighed at her bed. "What I wouldn't give to wake up with him one more time..."

She laid back, putting the photos away and sighing as she curled up. She tried closing her eyes, but at this moment, she didn't feel tired. She felt something else, something that she had been feeling for a while since Tails left now.

Cream laid flat on her back and reached her hands up to grab her breasts. She noticed how much more full they'd gotten, albeit not by a huge amount. Still, given her pregnancy, she looked good, and had filled out quite a bit.

She then imagined Tails touching her breasts in the same way, with care and love. She imagined him kissing her as he fondled her, reaching his hands down to touch her core. The thought made Cream moan, smiling as she rubbed her hands over her own body... only for her phone to ring.

Cream answered it with a sigh. "Hello?"

"Hey, sweetie!" Vanilla said on the other end. "How are you?"

"Oh, mum!" Cream blushed, readjusting herself even though her mother couldn't see her. "I'm... fine..."

"Are you sure? You sound... tired..." Vanilla said, even though she knew how Cream felt. "I can leave you be if you would like me to."

"No, I'm okay," Cream smiled, trying to keep her voice level. "So, um... how are you?"

"I'm fine," Vanilla smiled. "Just called to see if my little girl wanted to head out on the weekend."

Cream put her palm to her face and smiled. "I almost forgot... it's my birthday soon."

"Well, with all the love letters from Tails, it must be hard to discern them from the birthday cards," Vanilla giggled.

"I've got piles of both," Cream admitted. "Not a birthday card from Tails, however. He's part of a big mission, so maybe he's been busy with that."

"I hope all is okay with him..." Vanilla said.

"Well, I'm still getting letters from him, so he's fine," Cream smiled.

The mother rabbit giggled. "So, do I have you for the weekend?"

"Of course," Cream said. "How about Sunday? I have plans with Blaze on Saturday."

"Oh, that's fine," Vanilla smiled. "I understand."

Cream smiled at that. "Thank you for calling me."

"Oh, it's no trouble. I just wanted to make sure that things were... okay," Vanilla said, pausing a bit.

"Oh, yeah, I'm fine," Cream nodded. "I'll be okay. Just... waiting for him isn't easy..."

"I get what you mean," Vanilla said. "But he'll be fine. I promise."

"I know."

Vanilla then yawned. "Anyway, I should get to bed myself. I'll see you soon, sweetie."

"Night, mama," Cream said. "I love you."

"I love you too. Night."

Both rabbits then hanged up, and Cream went back to laying in her bed. She managed to push down her urges before she went to sleep, but made a mental note to send a letter out to Tails tomorrow about what was happening. With that in mind, along with the happy memories of Tails and the promises to come, she smiled as she drifted off to bed.

* * *

 **And there is another one done! Sorry if this one took a bit longer. Heck, it's now the longest chapter in this story, so there you go. I'll see you all soon with more this, Foxhunt, and other stuff. Take care, and stay tuned.**


	7. Through The Wire

Tails woke up the following Sunday, his eyes adjusting to the early morning sunlight again. He yawned and then pulled a pillow over his face to try and block anything out. He soon felt a weight on the side of his bunk, causing it to lower slightly.

"You okay, buddy?" Sonic's voice asked.

"No..." Tails replied, his voice muffled.

"If we're going to have this conversation, I'd rather actually hear the words coming out of your mouth."

Tails moved the pillow away from his face. "I'm tired, man..."

"Been up all night waiting on info, huh?" Sonic asked.

"It's not just that, but Scourge barely got a chance to text or call the base," Tails said. "Apparently, he was swamped yesterday."

"Doing what?"

"Well, it was his first full actual day at Darius' base. As he's a new recruit, they had to break him in."

Sonic scratched his chin. "Wait, didn't he beat up on the guy we're supposed to be saving on his first day? And Conway knows about the fact that Scourge was with us, right? He should know the protocol already."

"I thought so too, but they do things differently over there," Tails said.

"Well, with torture camps and such, I can't imagine why," Sonic said. "They probably sneak razor blades into their breakfast too to toughen them up."

Tails chuckled. "What makes you say that?"

"It's the same thing I'd do if I were an evil d-bag and just hired a soldier that used to fight against me," Sonic shrugged. "Anyway, come on, let's get you some coffee. And food. You barely ate at all yesterday."

"I had snacks... right?"

"I think you had a chocolate bar and a small fruit salad, and a couple of drinks too," Sonic smiled. "In fact, I know you did because I brought them up for you."

"You did?" Tails asked. "Oh, shoot, that's right! You were with me for most of yesterday and kept getting food and asking me what I wanted..."

"Look, let's just blame it on you being tired and working overtime," Sonic said.

"And lack of food?"

"That too. Let's fix that."

The two chuckled, heading into the cafeteria and getting some grub, sitting down with the others. Knuckles and some other soldiers came over, discussing things over as Vector kept a watchful eye over them all, smirking a bit with pride.

"So, how'd it go last night?" Knuckles asked.

"I mean, not too bad," Tails said. "I got super tired, but I'm fine now."

"Yeah. Scourge is really putting himself to work over there," Sonic added, putting an arm around Tails' shoulders. "And it's all thanks to this guy getting that wire tap."

Tails chuckled. "Come on, anyone could have made that call."

"No, they really couldn't," said Vector. "Look, I know I'm not allowed to get super involved here, but Tails, please, don't bring yourself down for doing something so good."

"With all due respect, sir, I'm not the one in their base trying to trip them up from the inside," the yellow fox said. "Scourge is the real hero."

"Even the real heroes need help," Vector smiled. "Now, eat. Briefing is soon."

The soldiers all go about finishing their food over casual chatter, but more focused on the former, and they all stood up to go to their respective rooms, with Tails and his group sat around a table as Vector was giving a presentation.

"We managed to get a new picture of Hooper last night, thanks to Tails," Vector started, causing the other soldiers to applaud.

Tails blushed a bit. "You guys..."

Vector chuckled. "However, now's a good time to remind you that, as beat up as Hooper looks, it's a good sign," he continued. "According to what little info we got from Scourge, he's been the one who's mainly been seeing to Hooper, and has had to hurt him in the process. But, according to the hedgehog himself, what he does to Hooper is just enough. What the others do is often a lot... worse..."

Vector then showed a video off of Hooper being woken up, water splashed on his face as he looked around, spitting out blood. As his head turned up, a light shined on his face, and he turned his head to the side to look away, only for it to be grabbed and forced to look into the light.

A man in army fatigue trousers and a dark grey tanked up walked up to Hooper. "Tell us what you know..." he said. He held jumper cables in his hands, with another associate of his bringing along a car battery.

"I... don't..." Hooper started, but was stopped by a backhand before he could continue. He turned his head back to spit at his attacker, the mixture of blood and saliva landing weakly at his feet.

"Ugh... such insolence..." said the torturer.

"I already... told you... I know... nothing..."

"And what about that new guy? You know him? Hmm?" After Hooper refused to speak, he earned another punch to his face. "Answer me, fuck-head!"

"Swearing... gets you... nowhere..."

"You think this is a fucking joke?" The attacker grabbed the cables and went to attach them to Hooper's shirt. "You know, all of that water on you will conduct the electricity quickly, and it'll flow through you nice and fast. The only bad part is that it may kill you before we can get the information that we need out of you, but it's a risk that I'm willing to take."

Hooper smirked. "You... and me... both..."

The torturer nodded to his partner, and as he was about to switch things on, the alarm sounded off. "Oh, come on..."

Hooper looked around. "An... attack?"

"Probably just false," said the torturer.

"We should still check it anyway, right?" the other one asked.

"Yeah. Let's go."

As they left, Hooper looked up in the darkness, flipping a middle finger even though his hands were tied behind his back. Before he could put his head back down, however, another figure walked in, and the grey cat sighed.

"You know... you're going to have to be more discreet..." Hooper said.

"I beat the shit out of you on my first day here. How much more discreet can I be?" Scourge asked.

"Maybe... try not setting off... false alarms?"

"It was an order from Darius," Scourge said. "Those two have a tendency to get carried away. If I didn't do that, they might have killed you." Scourge quickly stood up to punch Hooper across the face. "Darius wants to keep you alive to give any information that he can squeeze out of you."

"And... if I keep refusing?"

"Then you'll die," Scourge replied, hitting Hooper with a knee to the chest, winding the grey cat. He leaned down to start whispering. "I'm still working on getting you out of here, and this'll all be sent to Conway."

Hooper nodded. "All right, get it over with, you prick..."

"Just give them what they need!" Scourge said loudly, landing another punch before whispering again. "Spit blood on the floor if nothing's broken..."

Hooper did so, grinning at the green hedgehog, who landed another blow before the camera cut off. Tails spoke first. "So... is that all that we have?" he asked.

"So far, yes, but we'll need you back up in communications to try and tap into their stuff. We got a text that says that Scourge has planted trackers in some places. They're small and silent, but he had to be careful putting them down."

"How many points of reference do we have?" Sonic asked.

"At least five," said Vector. "One in the barracks, one in the lunch hall, one in the gym, one in the prison, and one in Darius' office. That last one was the most difficult."

"How'd Scourge pull it off?" Espio asked.

"Scourge hid it on Darius' military jacket," Vector said. "Since he almost always wears that thing, and the trackers are damn near microscopic, all that Scourge had to do was get close enough, and he pulled it off."

"Would they pick up on that kind of technology?"

"Only if it's too obvious not to notice," said Tails. "Scourge needs to find a way back into Darius' office and put the tracker somewhere less unpredictable. Almost always doing something isn't the same as always doing it, and we have video footage of him not wearing it for torture."

"With a jacket that fancy, you don't want to get blood on it," said Sonic.

"True, and that brings us to today's mission," Vector said. "Tails, you're going to be in communications today. Vector's probably going to meet Darius to get a briefing of his own, so it's up to you to instruct Scourge however you can."

"How will that work?" asked Espio.

"The trackers give us a bit of access to speak to Scourge through a small earpiece, just slightly bigger than the trackers themselves," said Vector. "But the window of time will be short, especially if Darius gets suspicious."

"So, I spend the last couple of days staying up late to get this work done, and I still have more?" Tails asked.

"If you have any complaints about your work, you can just leave," Vector said.

The two-tailed fox rubbed his head. "No, sir... I'll do what I can to help."

"Good," Vector nodded. "All right, dismissed. Go to where you need to go."

They all left the room, with Sonic sticking with Tails as they went to the comm room. Tails booted up one of the computers there and yawned again, about to sit down when a glass of water appeared beside him. Tails looked up at Sonic and smiled.

"Thanks, man..." he said, taking the cup.

"No problem," the blue hedgehog replied.

Tails sipped some of the water, drinking it down before speaking again. "Could I make a small complaint before I get to work here?" he asked.

"Sure thing, dude."

"Well, because of how busy I've been, I haven't been able to write to Cream... or read the letters she sent me either," Tails said.

"Want me to write to her for you?" Sonic asked.

"Nah, you've still got your own training," Tails said.

"I've got today off," Sonic shrugged. "I don't mind helping you."

Tails smiled. "Well, the best way for you to help is sit back. I... I like writing the letters to Cream myself. It makes them more personal. And besides, you writing to two women at once? Amy might catch on to that."

Sonic chuckled. "She was a bit clingy at first in our relationship, but she's gotten better about it. Still, that's a good call."

Tails smirked and put on the headphones, looking at the electronic board in front of him as he waited. He saw five signals activate close to each other, almost at the exact same time, and he tried to boost the signal, stopping briefly as he heard an Irish accent.

"So, that's why I don't really celebrate Thanksgiving," Daly said.

"Dude, you're Irish," Scourge's voice replied. "You're kinda not supposed to celebrate it."

"True, but I'm living in America, and I still don't celebrate it," Daly replied.

"Scourge?" Tails asked.

"Tails?"

"Who's Tails?" asked Daly.

"Uh... tales of the tallest order," Scourge said. "That was a long story to get to why you don't celebrate Thanksgiving."

The Irish cat chuckled. "Well... okay, then. I've got to get to the gym. See you soon."

"Later," Scourge said. He saw the yellow cat off before turning to head away, sitting behind one of the empty tents just out of view from everyone else. "Is that you, buddy?"

"Yeah, it's me," Tails said. "It's good to hear from you again. How you holding up?"

"I've spent the last few days knocking out our most valuable asset on a regular basis. How do you think I'm holding up?" Scourge shot.

"Dude, take it easy," Tails said. "You're doing a good job."

"I usually do good jobs like this by not getting caught still playing for the other side," Scourge said. "But I take it that you got the info that I sent?"

"Yep," Tails replied. "And, trust me, nobody else can hear me. But you are needed for something."

"What is that?"

"You need to move the tracker that you put in Darius' jacket to somewhere else in his office. Keeping it in the jacket makes it more difficult to follow, and it increases the risk of it being seen."

Scourge nodded. "Next chance that I get, I'll try to sneak in there."

"Sneaking's too risky," Tails said. "You'll need to have direct access."

Scourge was about to reply, when a light on his watch beeped. "Looks like I'm in luck."

"How do you mean?"

"We all have watches to communicate on the base if we're too far away from each other, and it's usually used by Darius since he's in his office for the most part."

"So, you'll be talking to the boss man himself?"

"That's what I'm hoping for." Scourge sighed. "All right, I'd best go. People might notice that I'm gone, and I should get to Darius quickly."

"I mean, I'm still connected. Just don't talk back to me," Tails chuckled.

"I won't," Scourge smiled. "All right, off I go. But, to be safe, let's keep radio silence."

"Agreed. Good luck, man."

Scourge nodded, turning to leave from behind the tent. He adjusted his pants as he left, making it seem like he'd been peeing and couldn't reach a bathroom in time so as to throw people off. He soon reached the base itself, heading up to Darius' office.

"You wanted to see me, sir?" Scourge asked.

Darius turned around and smiled. "Ah, Scourge. My top information extractor. Please, sit."

The green hedgehog nodded, taking his seat. "Not that I don't appreciate the compliment, sir, but we still haven't gotten anything out of that bastard."

"I know, but I do have men who have a tendency to go overboard," Darius sighed. "The weirdly ironic thing is that they were the first to join me, and we've since acquired many more of my brother's men since then. Those are the ones who seem to have more sense. You, especially."

"Sir?"

"You know when to pull the others back," Darius said. "Do you know how hard it is to get info when the person that you're trying to get it from is dead?"

Scourge chuckled. "That is a good point."

"I know, but it's not my main one. See, I know that I'm no better than Tyson. But at least I haven't put my own men in unnecessary danger."

"With all due respect, it's war, sir," Scourge said. "It's pretty hard to avoid danger."

"I know, but that's danger that you're supposed to get into," Darius said. He stood up and turned around, facing the window behind him and looking out of it. "Fighting, death, blood, all of that is inevitable in war. But to change things at the last minute and have your own soldiers do something that they're not prepared for? That is the kind of shit that I won't tolerate. That's why FATE was created."

Scourge reached over for the jacket that was in Darius' chair as he replied. "Daly and the others told me what happened. A failed bomb defence or something, right?"

"Yes. Under Tyson's rule, no less. He almost put lives in danger - lives that were necessary to his mission - just to get the win." Darius turned around, seeing Scourge still sat down. "But someone like you... we've got your dossiers, we know as much about you as my brother and the rest of his soldiers know about us. Someone as strong and smart as you just switching sides is an interesting situation..."

"What are you saying?" Scourge asked, carefully reaching his hand under the table, feeling the tracker on his fingertip.

"I'm saying that... if someone like you can switch easily... then maybe Tyson isn't the man that everything thinks he is..." Darius smiled and took his seat, seeing eye level with Scourge. "And who knows? Maybe others will be smart enough to join us quickly without almost losing their lives just to further someone else's agenda."

Scourge managed to stick the tracker under the table. "It's sick that someone who sits on such a high horse would think that he could just toy with his soldiers' lives like that," he said, trying to aim it more at Darius but make it sound like it was aimed at Tyson.

"Indeed," Darius said. "Anyway, I wanted to thank you again for your hard work. But I also wanted you to know what we're working towards. And... I'm giving you full guard duty of Hooper's cell."

"Wait, really?" Scourge asked.

"Yes. You've come closer than the rest of us to getting anything out of him, and you only cause as much hurt to him as you have to. No going overboard, no out and out torture... something that I can appreciate. From now on, that fucking turncoat is all yours. And the moment that he speaks, I want to be the first person that you tell. Understood?"

"Yes, sir," Scourge nodded. "Anything else?"

"No, that is all," Darius smiled. He extended a hand, happy to have it shook not long after. "Now, enjoy the rest of your day. And keep an eye on Hooper. He'll crack eventually."

"Don't worry," Scourge smiled. "Everyone cracks soon enough."

The green hedgehog then turned around, leaving Darius' office. He left down the stairs and looked around for an empty space, finding a spot near one of the walls of the gym to sneak behind as he pressed against his headset.

"Yo, I'm back," Scourge said. "The tracer has been placed."

"Did you mean tracker?" Tails asked.

"Eh, either one works," Scourge smiled. "But hey, it's done now."

"All right, great work," Tails said. "You'd best get back to your business. I'm sure that Conway and Vector will be very happy with the results. Over and out for now."

"Over and out." Scourge then headed back to his own tent.

Tails, meanwhile, pumped his fist out of excitement. "Yes!"

"Nicely done!" Sonic said. "I'm proud of you, dude!"

"Hey, it was Scourge that did the hard work. I just had to nudge him a bit in the right direction." Tails sighed, removing his headphones. "We got super lucky today. That might have been our only shot at that."

"Come on, don't discredit yourself. You were awesome," Sonic smiled, checking his watch. "And before lunchtime too. Let's get down there early and get to the chilli-dogs before others do."

"Sounds good."

"Actually, I wouldn't leave so quickly," Vector's voice said.

"Sir!" Tails said, panicking a bit. "We, uh, we did it!"

"I saw." Vector smiled. "You did a good job, kid."

"Thank you," Tails smiled.

Vector then reached into a bag he was carrying for his laptop. "I got you a present as thanks."

Tails took it and looked at it. "This... doesn't look like an army laptop, sir."

"Because it's not," Vector said. "Open it up."

Tails did so, and as he did, he saw a camera coming into focus, as well as his own face in the bottom right corner. As the screen became clear, he was happy to see his fiancee's beautiful chocolate brown eyes, looking behind her to see some fancy decor.

"Hey there, my love," Tails smiled.

Cream blushed. "Tails! Oh, it's so good to hear from you! I was... getting worried..."

"Yeah... I wasn't able to send letters," Tails said. "Been working my ass off lately..."

A voice then cleared its throat, and spoke. "I'd appreciate you not swearing much in public."

"Vanilla?" Tails asked. Cream smiled and turned the camera to view her mother. "Oh, wow! It's so good to see you!"

"You too!" Vanilla smiled. "Oh, I'm so glad that I'm going to be a grandmother soon!"

Vector came over and chuckled. "Hi there, Van."

The mother rabbit blushed. "Oh, come now..."

Tails smiled. "Not that I want to get in the way, but could I see my soon-to-be wife again?"

"Oh, sure," Vanilla said, blowing a kiss to the screen. Tails blushed at it, but Vanilla just about saw Vector catching it as the camera turned back around to focus on Cram.

"So..." the younger rabbit said, "is everything okay?"

Tails yawned. "Been pretty tired lately, but it's been worth it. We're making some major headway now, and it won't be long until we can land our first strike."

Cream giggled. "It's so cute when you talk about work. And it's fine about the letters thing. I'm guessing that you haven't had time to read any either?"

"I wish I could say no to that, but it's true," Tails said. "I've not gotten around to them. I'm so sorry, my darling."

"It's okay," Cream smiled. "You're doing what you're doing for me... for... us..." She rubbed her stomach a bit. "Hehe... I can't believe it! I still can't believe it!"

"I can't either," Tails said, unable to hide his smile. "Anyway, um... it was good to see you. I only hope that the next time that I see you, it's not through some screen."

"Same. Oh, I've missed you in my bed..." Cream blushed. "You're so fluffy and easy to snuggle up with..."

Tails blushed. "Well... I'm just thankful that we have bunk-beds here," he chuckled.

"Hehe!" Cream giggled, soon turning into laughter. "I'll... see you soon. I love you. So... so much."

"I love you too," Tails replied. Cream then ended the call, and Tails did too, closing down the laptop to hand to Vector.

"No, that's yours to keep," the green crocodile said. "In case you need to message or call her. But it's for emergencies only."

"I understand," Tails nodded. "Thank you, sir."

"Hey, you're the one putting in the extra work," Vector smiled. "If anyone deserves thanks, then it's you."

"Yeah," Sonic added, agreeing. "And who knows? Maybe you'll get to be back with your future wife, future child, and beautiful grandmother who Vector kept ogling the whole time."

"One more word out of you, and I'll have you reset the entire obstacle course from scratch," Vector said seriously.

"I shall keep quiet," Sonic chuckled.

Vector couldn't hide his own laugh. "All right, we're almost going to be late for lunch. Let's go get ourselves some food."

* * *

 **And there it is! I know that I talked about Cream visiting Vanilla in the last chapter, but you're going to be getting the results of that in the next chapter. Sort of like a two-sided coin. I hope that you liked this one, as I enjoyed writing it. I'll see you all in whatever's next. Until then, take care, and stay tuned.**


	8. Opposite Ends

Cream woke up on that very Sunday in the morning. She managed to sleep easier the previous night, mostly thanks to spending time with Blaze again and having her energy expended due to their light jog around the block, making Cream realise that even though she was pregnant, there was no time for laziness.

Still, that wasn't why she was up this morning. She woke up in an old t-shirt that Tails left her, as well as a pair of white panties which were soaked from last night. She blushed a bit at the thought of it, heading to the shower to clean herself up.

She shed her old clothes and soon got herself all clean. She looked down at her small baby bump, rubbing it gently and smiling to herself. She wrapped her towel around herself, going to the wardrobe in her bedroom and putting on a yellow t-shirt, some black jean shorts, and cream coloured shoes.

She checked the time, nodding to herself as she went to the front door to check for any new mail. She saw the mailman walking to her front door, and before he could knock it, Cream opened it with a smile.

"Ah, Cream," the mailman smiled. "Figured I'd give you the letters directly this time, since you like waiting for them."

"Well, my future husband is fighting for us all," Cream smiled. "And besides, even though we don't really talk, I feel like we've become such good friends."

The mailman chuckled, handing Cream the letters. "Tails is a good man. I know that. He'll be back safe and sound, and he'll see his child born when he returns."

Cream blushed, nodding. "Thank you... it means a lot..."

"Any time." The delivered bowed his head. "Take care, ma'am."

"You too," Cream waved. The mailman left, and she rifled through the letters, finding the one from Tails and smiling gleefully. She felt her heart flutter as she read through it. "My hero..." She held the letter close and kissed it before putting it with the others. "All right, I should get some breakfast... and a drink... then I'll write a reply."

She trudged over to the kitchen, deciding to make herself some cereal. As she poured the milk, she looked out the window at the fruit and vegetables, and smiled as she saw how fresh the strawberries and raspberries looked. She quickly ran out to pick a few, putting them in with her cereal as well before making herself a quick cup of coffee, extra cream, and she sat down in her living room.

"All right... what to watch first..." She flicked through any shows she'd recorded. "Ah, Open Heart... my favourite medical drama!" She was about to press start when her phone rang, and she smiled at seeing her mother's name. "Hey, mum!"

"Hello, sweetie!" Vanilla smiled. "Just wanted to check up on you! I didn't get much chance yesterday myself since we were both so busy."

"Yeah, I'm fine," said Cream. "Got another letter from Tails as well."

"Aw... well, I won't pry," Vanilla said. "It is lovely that he keeps sending them to you, though."

"Yeah... even though not as many have come through... this big mission of his is only driving us apart more and more..."

Vanilla smiled at her end. "Oh? What a shame..."

"You sound... happy about that," Cream said. "Almost too much so."

"Oh, it's nothing to worry about."

"Mum..."

"It's fine."

Cream sighed. "Tell me... please?"

Vanilla giggled. "It is a secret. But a good secret. You will find out... soon."

"Like when we meet?" Cream asked.

"Well, yes, but even then, I still won't tell you."

Cream smiled. "Well... fine. You're lucky that I like surprises."

Vanilla giggled again. "I'll see you soon, sweetie. I'll be across the road from the church."

"See you," Cream said. "I love you."

"Love you too."

Vanilla then hanged up, and Cream did too soon after that, going back to her show. After a couple of episodes and a finished breakfast later, she decided to get a piece of paper out, a pen in her right hand as she began to write down her thoughts to her love.

"My dearest Tails, I'm so happy that the mission is going well so far. I know that it's far from over, though, so I know that I'll have to wait a little bit longer until it's done. But I'm fine with that. I can wait forever for you, as can our future child. I know that you haven't been able to send over as much, but that's okay. I love you for you, and I know that what you're doing is for the right reasons. It's also to protect me... to protect us... like a true husband, a true father. You're not either of those yet, but you are more than prepared to be both. I love you, so much. I hope you get back home safe and sound. Yours always, Cream."

She then drew a love heart next to the last line of the sentence, putting a capital T and C in the heart before folding up the letter. She placed it into the envelope, sealed it, then marked it for delivery, putting it in her mailbox and thankful that the mailman knew where to take it.

"All right, that's all done..." She smiled to herself. "Let's go out into town."

She went back inside her house, quickly grabbing what she needed, taking her handbag with her as well as she left her house, closing and locking the door behind her. She headed for the nearest bus stop, hopping on the next bus that arrived and taking a short trip into the town. It didn't take long to get there, and she uttered a word of thanks to the driver before leaving the large vehicle.

She walked up the road, seeing where the church was on the path. She went over to the stoplights nearby, pressing the button and waiting for the cars to stop before crossing the road, getting to the other side and continuing her way there, smiling as she saw a familiar figure, wearing a blue long sleeved sweatshirt, light blue jeans, and black heeled boots.

Her mother, Vanilla, was everything people expected a mother of someone as kind as Cream to be: Thoughtful, sincere, and always trying to lend a hand if she can. Cream had inherited those traits from her mother, as well as the looks. In fact, if one looked at the two from far away enough, they could be assumed to be the same person.

"Mother!" Cream smiled, hugging her parent.

"Oh, Cream! It's good to see you again," Vanilla smiled.

The hug broke and Cream giggled. "So, what's this surprise?"

Vanilla chuckled, taking Cream's hand and turning around with her daughter in two. They walked up to the building that Vanilla was stood in front of, with the younger rabbit looking at dark brown wooden framing around glass windows with a name she recognised in it.

"Vanilla's Sweet Treats..." Cream said, seeing the title around a cute little real life bunny who was munching on a strawberry. "You finally renovated."

"I did," Vanilla smiled. "It was... difficult to get this place off the ground. Harder still to maintain it."

Cream nodded. "I know. I remember the times... you having to work two jobs as well as run it just to keep things afloat. And me selling fruit didn't pull us enough in, either." The young rabbit sighed and smiled. "To be honest, things were looking a lot worse... until Tails offered to help."

"Oh, the choices he made for us..." Vanilla said. "Were I a younger woman, I would have married him before you."

Cream giggled. "Then he'd be my father, technically. Ooh, that means I'd get a pair of his tails as my own!"

Vanilla laughed. "Speaking of children, what will yours be again?"

"A girl," Cream said. "Meaning that she'll look more like me, right?"

"True," said her mother. "The gender of the baby takes the more dominant traits depending on the parent. Since it's a girl, your future child will look more like you, same with you looking like me."

"But if it's a boy, it'd look like Tails, right?"

"That's right," Vanilla smiled. "So... how about we actually go inside and celebrate?"

"Sounds good to me."

The two walked inside, and as much as Cream had liked the outside of the shop, she liked the inside more. Dark brown and silver diamond tile patterned floors, the walls a deep shade of maroon, outlined here and there with creamy stripes, the chairs, tables, and booths all mixtures of pleasant browns, reds, and yellows.

"Wow... you did such a good job!" Cream smiled.

"Wait until you get to the counter!" Vanilla giggled.

They walked the rest of the way, and Cream saw said counter. She subconsciously wiped her mouth of any drool, even though none had actually formed. She saw the array of cupcakes, muffins, doughnuts, cookies, biscuits, and so on. There were also various drinks, different types of coffees and teas that Cream was pretty sure were made up, alongside some soft drink options.

"Oh, my god..." Cream said. "And to think, I already had breakfast... I feel like such a fool..."

Vanilla chuckled. "Oh, but wait, there is so much more."

"There's more than this?" Cream asked.

"Of course! But first..." Vanilla walked around the counter, "what would you like to eat?"

"Um... I did mention the breakfast thing, right?" the daughter rabbit replied.

"You did, but you have room for a coffee, tea, and even something sweet," Vanilla said. "Maybe a raspberry cookie? Or a fruit shortcake biscuit? Ooh, a blueberry muffin. I know you like those."

"Um... yes. Yes to all of those."

"And drinks?"

"Oh, a summer fruits soda, please."

Vanilla gathered her daughter's order up, even totalling the price on the cash machine. Cream, understanding that it was a business, reached into her purse to pay for the food. Vanilla took the cash, put it in the register, gave her daughter any change needed, and then put all the food in small white bags with the Sweet Treats logo on them, handing them to the younger rabbit with a smile.

"Thank you for your service!" Vanilla said. "Now, if you wouldn't mind joining me, I have something more to show you."

The mother rabbit then turned to leave, and Cream looked behind her to see that there were no other customers around. She didn't even see them when her mother walked her through the shop, and she was thankful for that as she soon rushed to catch up with her mother.

As she did, Vanilla led her through a small side door, following a small corridor that split into two more hallways. The one on the left had toilets, and the one on the right led to a wide open door, and Cream peered through it to see a small garden, her eyes widening.

"Oh... wow!"

Vanilla smiled. "You like it?"

Cream only nodded in answer as she and Vanilla left the door proper, her head turning to the side to see a platform raised about a foot off the ground. Said platform was all painted white wood, and had multiple pairs of steps to get up onto it. There were many tables and chairs, also white wood, and Cream turned her head to follow the platform's path, seeing that its size extended to look roughly about the third of the size of the inside of the cafe.

"How... how did..." Cream started, still entranced by how it all looked.

"Well, during the renovation, myself and some builders realised how much empty space there was in one of the back rooms," Vanilla said. "Since we couldn't think of what else to do with it, we tore it down and made it into a little garden. A nice, quiet, calm little place to clear your head."

"How long did it take?" Cream asked.

"Not all too long," Vanilla said. "Only about a week for something like this."

"Wait, how come you didn't ask me to help?" Cream said. "You know that I would have."

"You were still sort of a recluse," Vanilla said. "I wanted to leave you be for a bit to recover. I didn't want to bother you into coming out until I felt like you were comfortable."

Cream smiled. "Thank you..."

The mother rabbit smiled back. "So, how about we take a seat and enjoy some food?"

The younger rabbit giggled, and Vanilla guided her over to the little platform. As they saw the little roof above, there were tiny candelabras hanging as well, the flames inside adding a warm glow to a place that already felt comforting.

"Ah, that's a nice little touch," Cream said, pointing at the little candles.

"The best part is that it's real flames," said Vanilla. "None of that electrical nonsense."

Cream giggled. "I know you were always one for the old-fashioned ways."

"True," Vanilla nodded. She reached under the table. "But it doesn't mean that I can't try." She rose her arm back up, showing a laptop to Cream.

"What... what is that?"

Vanilla giggled. "Well, I never got the chance to tell you, but my boyfriend, Vector, is Tails' commanding officer in his unit. He set up a video call for Tails doing such a good job over there."

Cream blushed and reached over to hug her mother happily. "Oh, this is amazing!"

Vanilla giggled, turning on the laptop and waiting as the video call started. Tails responded, sounding surprised, and Vanilla smiled as she saw over their conversation. She even blew a quick kiss to Vector, who caught it. She even got to see Tails briefly, making her smile. Soon, the call had ended, and Cream couldn't stop the smile on her face.

"Oh... it was so good to see him..." she said.

"You truly do miss him," Vanilla smiled.

"Of course I do," Cream nodded. "I love him... so much..."

Vanilla nodded. "I know. But, for now, you and I are going to enjoy our lunch together. And then we're going to do some shopping as well, okay?"

Cream nodded. "Okay..."

So, the two rabbits had their food and drinks, with Cream marvelling at how amazing everything tasted. Vanilla would say that it was mostly natural ingredients, only further impressing the younger rabbit. Their lunch was soon finished, and the two went out on the town together.

They went around the local stores, buying some maternity shirts and other clothing for Cream, as well as getting some things to help prepare for the baby. It wasn't anything major, just some toys and even copies of a couple of books that were Cream's favourites when she was still little.

"And we have some audio book versions as well," Vanilla said, looking at a shelf. "Should we get you some easy music to listen to as well?"

Cream nodded. "It might help."

Vanilla nodded, getting the things in question before taking them to the counter to pay for them. When they were all done, they went out and got a little bit of food shopping done, deciding to call it quits after that. They headed back to Sweet Treats and sat at one of the booths closest to the door to talk briefly.

"So... I really needed a day like today," Cream smiled.

"Well, anything for my daughter, future son-in-law, and future granddaughter," Vanilla smiled.

Cream snorted a bit. "I hope that future comes quite soon..."

Vanilla frowned a little bit. "Hey... how about you come back over later tonight?"

"You sure?" Cream asked.

"Yeah. I'll invite some of our friends over as well. We'll just sit in the back garden, calm down, have a talk... what do you say?"

Cream smiled. "That sounds really nice."

The two rabbits then stood up, sharing a hug with each other. They broke apart, with Cream waving goodbye as she left the store. She hopped over to the bus stop, catching the next one back to her neighbourhood, seeing a group of hoodlums harassing a girl at the back. Said girl had a pushchair with her with a baby boy inside it.

Cream walked over to them. "Hey..." The harassers ignored her, with one reaching a hand to grope at the girl. Cream reached over to grab the man's hand and jerk it away. "I told you to stop!"

"And what are you going to do if we don't?" asked the harasser.

Cream smiled. "Well, my future husband is in the army. I haven't trained much with him, but I know how to put a stop to three little twerps like you."

"Well, your future husband is probably going to wind up dead where he is," the leader smirked. "What good will that do for his bitch back home?"

Cream sighed. "Didn't your mother ever tell you not to be a misogynistic jack-ass?"

"She did. Unfortunately, she was a bitch too."

The leader moved to throw a punch, but Cream dodged it, causing him to hit his hand against one of the rails, hearing a bone pop. He grunted in pain, about to strike when he saw something. The other three members of the group also stood up as well, but saw that same thing that the leader saw.

Cream was confused, so she turned around to see what they were looking at, her heart sighing in relief as someone walked over. Said someone was in a police uniform, and it was a tall silver hedgehog with amber eyes, flashing his badge at the scene.

"Is there a problem here?" he asked.

"Not at all, officer," the leader said. The bus then stopped, and he took it as a chance to leave, but the hedgehog's hand landed on his chest.

"If you try something like that again, I won't hesitate to take more drastic measures. This is your only warning."

The hoodlum nodded, and he and his group left. As they did, the woman who was being harassed stood up and hugged the cop who just saved her. He didn't hesitate to hug her back, smiling a bit before the hug broke as well. The lady smiled and sat back down as Cream smiled.

"Silver," she said. "It's good to see you."

"Hey, Cream," Silver smiled. "Blaze told me about how things went not long ago. I'm glad that you're coming out a bit more now."

"Well, I figured that it was about time," Cream said. "It was hard staying holed up at home the whole time."

Silver chuckled. "Well, I'm glad that that's not the case any more." He nodded. "It's good to see you. I know that we haven't been able to see much of each other lately because of me being a cop and stuff."

"Oh, it's fine," Cream said. "I don't think I asked Blaze this, but are things good with her?"

"Yeah, things are great," Silver said. "We're thinking about getting a place in the big city soon."

"Ooh, fancy," Cream giggled.

"What about you?" Silver asked. "What are your plans going to be for when Tails gets back?"

"Oh, we'll still live together in my home, only with an extra body and more love to put into it..." She rubbed her little baby bump.

"It's going to be a girl, right?" Silver smiled. "Got a name?"

"Not yet..." Cream said. "We were... planning on waiting..."

The hedgehog nodded. "That's fine. And hey, maybe it'll carry on the lineage of cute names like Vanilla and Cream."

The rabbit giggled. "That's the idea..." She looked up ahead, pressing one of the stop buttons as her neighbourhood came more into view. "Well, this is my stop."

"Wait, before you go," Silver said. He reached into his pocket and handed the rabbit a little hand taser. "Just in case something like what happened earlier crops up again, okay?"

Cream nodded. "I'll... try to be more careful."

Silver nodded and smiled. "I know. You take care, okay?"

"I will."

Cream then gave him a brief hug before leaving the bus, heading in the direction of her home. She opened the front door, closing it behind her and seeing the time on a nearby clock at almost 3:00 pm. She sighed, but smiled happily as she headed further into her house.

She opened up her bags, putting her purchases in their respective piles before putting them away. She did, however, grab one of the books she was given, and soon got out her phone to find the audio version which she'd gotten from the store. She grabbed a pair of headphones, sat on her couch, and opened up the book, starting to read at the same time that the narrator spoke the words into her ear.

* * *

 **And there you have it! A sort of similar chapter to the last one, but on Cream's side of the fence, as it were. I hope you enjoyed it, and it was fun to write. I also hope you liked the inclusion of Silver. It was fun to bring him in. Anyway, I'll see you all in the next thing I wind up writing, whatever that may be. Until then, take care, and stay tuned.**


	9. Watchful Eyes

A couple of months have passed since Tails and Cream first saw each other via their video-call. Now, Cream herself was starting to notice her bump a bit more, the little bundle of joy inside it kicking at the inside of her stomach. Despite the little bits of pain, it made Cream smiled to no end.

She was in the middle of making herself some lunch when her phone rang. She reached into her shirt pocket to answer it, thankful that the floral designed maternity shirt she wore had such pockets, and answered it.

"Hello?"

"Hey! It's Callahan!" said the familiar voice.

"Oh, Callahan! Good to hear from you!"

Callahan smiled. "You as well. How are things?"

"Oh, things are fine..." Cream smiled. "My baby is completely healthy... she's kicking, and seems to be enjoying the music and books that I'm playing for her."

"That is a good sign," Callahan giggled. "Still, I do need you to come in for your monthly checkup."

Cream nodded. "I know. But don't be surprised if my walking speed is somewhat lacking."

Callahan smiled. "You've got about an hour. You can make it in that time."

Cream laughed a bit. "Be there soon."

She then hung up, as did Callahan. Since Cream wore her maternity shirt, she didn't see the need to wear much else barring the underwear which she was already wearing and some socks and shoes. She made sure that the black cloth belt around her shirt was wrapped up before putting some black socks and brown heeled shoes on, aiming for comfort over style.

She made sure that she had all that she needed with her and got to her car. She opened the door and carefully climbed into her seat, sitting down and taking a breath as she closed the door. She had her eyes closed for a second before a kick struck her stomach.

"Oh! Hey there, you..." She rubbed it gently. "We're going to go see that nice nurse, okay? She's going to make sure that everything is fine." She then stopped herself from sobbing at how happy she was. "I can't wait for you to come into this world..."

She then started her car, heading for the doctor's. Traffic was a bit more bunched up than usual that morning, but Cream still made it with ten minutes to spare. She parked her car outside, walked into the building, and found a seat, being careful.

"Ooh..." she said as she settled down.

"First time mother, huh?" asked a voice beside her.

Cream turned, seeing the dog couple from months ago when she went to the cafe with Blaze. "Oh, it's you two!"

The voice, the male of the two, smiled. He was a German shepherd with dark brown fur and brown eyes, his wife having lighter fur and blue eyes. Their daughter, a cute little puppy who looked more like the mother, was snoozing in a pushchair next to them.

Cream then saw the mother's bump. "Expecting another one so soon, huh?"

"Well... things have been going so well for our first, that we have been trying again," the male said. "I'm Wade, and my lovely wife here is Tarin."

"I'm Cream. It's nice to meet you both," Cream said, shaking their hands. "And who is the little cutie in that pushchair?"

"Jaime-May," said Tarin. "Does yours have a name?"

"We're waiting on her to be born before picking one," Cream said.

"Oh, a little girl, huh?" Wade smiled. "Congratulations."

"Thank you..."

"So, where is your partner?" asked Wade.

"Oh, he's... away... in the army..." Cream said.

"Do you know which one?" asked Wade.

"The Chimera Regiment. 44th, I think," the rabbit said. "Why?"

"That means... Conway..." Wade smiled. "My dad fought alongside him a few times before. Your husband is in good hands with him."

"Well, he's my fiancee, but... thank you," Cream said. "I know that he's fine, anyway. We keep sending love letters back and forth to each other."

"Oh, that's so romantic!" Tarin smiled. "So, what's the plan when he gets back? Get married, have your child, and live a happy life together?"

"That's the dream," Cream said. A voice then came on over the speaker system, calling for her. "Well, that's my cue."

"Which doctor are you seeing?" Wade asked.

"Callahan," said Cream. "Let me guess... you guys are here for her too, right?"

"That we are..." said Wade.

Callahan then walked out, peeking out of the door before stepping out to see the pregnant women. "Oh, I forgot that I had the dog couple already booked."

"We can go after Cream," Tarin said. "We don't mind."

"Are you sure?" Cream asked. "I mean, I don't mind you guys going first."

"Well, I pick option three, where you all come in so that I can look at you?" Callahan asked. "And, yes, you can come too, Wade."

"Actually, I'll stay here with Jaime-May," the dog said.

"Fair enough," said Callahan. "Cream, Tarin, you're with me."

The two women in question got up, following behind the good doctor as she took them past the door she entered through and into the room with her name on it. It was still in clean condition, and Callahan smiled as she sat down, silently telling the girls to do the same.

"So," the doctor started, turning to Cream first, "is everything okay with you both since your last visit?"

"Yes," Cream said. "The baby is kicking now... it's painful, but it feels worth it."

"Are the books and music working?"

"Yes, very much so," Cream said. "She seems to enjoy Charles Dickens novels quite a bit. Especially A Christmas Carol."

"Well, that's just a really good book," Callahan smiled. "Good to hear all that." She turned to Tarin. "And how have you been? Are you looking forward to your second child?"

"Oh, very much so," said Tarin. "I know it's still early, but you're the one who helped us determine if our first baby was going to be possible or not."

"Well, don't worry. I'll put in a repeat performance for you," Callahan smiled. "If you wouldn't mind hopping onto the tables, we can begin."

The two women nodded, hopping up onto their respective tables as Callahan went about getting the gel and other machines ready. Both pregnant women had their shirts lifted, exposing their stomachs as Callahan looked between them.

"Hmm... I think I'll do Cream first, since she's more further along," the doctor said.

"That's fine," Tarin smiled.

Cream smiled, nodding as the bear walked over to her. She kept her shirt lifted up as Callahan prepared the gel. She spread some on Cream's stomach before using the scanner, hovering it over gently and listening with her headphones. After a few moments, there was a strong kick, and she smiled.

"Oh, she's coming along nicely!" said Callahan. "Still healthy, and kicking quite a bit. That's a good sign."

Cream smiled. "Thank you..."

"Say, would you like more pictures of her?" Callahan asked. "I can print you a copy for Tails too. You can both see how much your bun in the oven has grown."

"I'd like that," Cream giggled.

"Then it shall be done. But first, I'll go check on Tarin."

"Say... could I look with you?" Cream asked.

"Well, usually you have to be a doctor to... ah, I'm just kidding," Callahan smiled. She helped Cream down from her seat. "Just looking is fine."

Tarin smiled. "The more, the merrier! There's four people in this very room, three of which are not me!"

Callahan smiled, bringing the machine over to Tarin. She put some gel on the dog's stomach, then did as she did with Cream, putting her headphones on, gingerly pushing the scanner against Tarin's stomach, and watching the video to see what would develop. Luckily, she wouldn't have to wait too long for it.

"You definitely have one on the way," Callahan said. "Would you like to know the gender? Pictures?"

Tarin looked back at Cream, and then nodded. "Yes to both."

Callahan smiled. "You're having another girl!"

Tarin have Callahan a hug, giggling. "Two cute puppy babies!"

Cream smiled. "You seem happy about that."

"I am! Why would I not be?"

Callahan smiled, helping Tarin off her chair. "I'll print these pictures off and be right with you."

Cream and Tarin both nodded before the rabbit turned to the dog. "Hey, could I ask something?"

"Of course," said Tarin.

"So, I know that you have a wonderful boyfriend, a beautiful baby girl, and another beautiful baby girl on the way, but... how old are you and Wade?"

"I'm 19, and he's 20," said Tarin. "We're both pretty young... but it's not all in vain."

"I was going to say," Cream said. "Shouldn't you be in college? You seem like the types who would fit in there."

"We actually didn't go," said Tarin. "We just missed our shot at it. When I was pregnant with Jaime-May at first, he and I were studying hard, but preparing for the baby eventually became the top priority. We squeezed in work whenever we could, and now he's looking for a job whilst I stay and look after our daughter."

"Are you not qualified for a job?"

"No, I am," said Tarin. "But it took me a while to recover after having Jaime-May. She was a little bit delayed during the labour, and it caused some... strain, shall we say."

"Oh..." Cream cleared her throat. "Didn't you try and get a job between recovery and, you know, your current situation?"

Tarin giggled. "I did. Wade even tried getting me work with what he does, but... well, when it came to our tests, he did a bit better than me. He gets more job opportunities that way..."

"Which is complete bull," said Callahan, walking over. "Tarin, I know for a fact that you and Wade are on equal footing, especially when it comes to loving your children. You will find a job, no matter what it takes. And besides, in the worst case scenario, you get to stay home with your two adorable daughters."

Tarin smiled. "Thank you..."

Callahan chuckled. "You're welcome." She handed the pictures to Cream and Tarin both. "Let's get back out there, shall we?"

The two pregnant women nodded, being led out of Callahan's office and back out into the waiting room. Wade had picked up Jaime-May and was hugging her gently, rocking her as she babbled playfully and hugged her dad back as best as she could.

"Hey, honey," Wade said. "How'd it go?"

Tarin smiled. "It's... another girl!"

Wade smiled, his eyes agape with joy as he turned to Jaime-May. "You hear that, little one? You're going to have a baby sister!"

"Sis... ta..."

Wade smiled, turning to Cream. "How about you? How'd things go?"

"Oh, the baby is fine. Alive and very much kicking," Cream said, feeling another bump.

"Trust me, the pain is worth it," said Tarin. She walked over to pick up her daughter, kissing her nose, causing her to giggle. "Well... I guess we should get going..."

"Wait, before you do," Cream said, "could I ask another question?"

"You told her about what happened?" Wade asked.

"She seems nice. It was rude not to," Tarin said.

Wade nodded. "I mean, I know, but..." He turned to Cream. "No offence. You seem really nice and all. But we usually don't like to talk about the teenage parents thing..."

"Well, me and my fiancee aren't much older," Cream smiled. "I mean, we're just barely into our mid-twenties ourselves."

Wade smiled. "Well, it'd be nice to meet him when he gets back home."

"Indeed." Tarin nodded, hugging Wade. "So, what was your question?"

"Oh, I just wanted to ask, what is Wade's job?"

"I do some web design stuff," said the male dog. "Write stuff for online music columns and things like that. It's not much, but it keeps a roof over our heads."

"Oh, that's right! I never did tell Cream this," Tarin said. "Our tests were mostly studying English. Wade took on music theory on the way as well."

"I've even got a guitar at home," Wade smiled. "I play Jaime-May songs sometimes to help her sleep."

Cream giggled. "That's honestly really sweet. I guess it proves that age doesn't matter when it comes to having children. With enough love, that's all you need."

"Well, that and money," Wade chuckled.

"True," Cream smiled. "Anyway, I should head home. It was nice seeing you again."

"Same time next month?" Tarin smiled.

"Yeah. Or I could add you as contacts?" Cream asked.

"Sounds good," said Tarin.

Both dogs gave their numbers to Cream, and she gave hers back to them in kind. They soon all left the hospital and went to their respective vehicles, driving to their homes. Cream pulled up onto her driveway, killed the engine, and went into her house.

"Phew..." she said, holding her stomach. "You really are a kicker..." She took a breath. "I can't wait for you to see this world... mmm... I think I might take a nap... but first..."

She walked over to her living room table, getting a letter ready and a pen, smiling as she started to write to her love.

"Dear Tails, I went to the doctor again today. It was my monthly checkup. Our baby girl is kicking more and more, and she's coming along really well. Dr. Callahan continues to be helpful and kind, as do the rest of our friends. Vanilla herself has already offered to babysit out daughter for us, saying that she's more than welcome at her new restaurant. Speaking of help, I met that cute dog couple again from a couple of months ago, since the girlfriend is expecting another baby girl. A little sister for their first one... and the parents have fallen on hard times. But they're powered through it. Seeing the love and passion and kindness that they have for each other and their daughter as a family only serves to keep my own heart alight for you. I know that your heard burns for me too. I miss you so, and our families miss you as well. I love you so much. Love, Cream."

She finished the letter, got a picture of that day's ultrasound, and sealed the letter, wrote the address, and put it in her purse, making sure to take it to the post office when she could. For now, however, she decided to go and take a small nap for a bit, smiling at the little kicks from her daughter as she laid down to sleep.

* * *

 **With Tails...**

The yellow fox was in the midst of training with his fellow soldiers. Even though he wasn't usually the physical type, he was proud of how well he'd done the past couple of months. Sonic helped to no end as well, becoming somewhat of a personal trainer for Tails.

"Ten more push-ups!" Vector said, a whistle around his neck. The men and women under his command did as told before he blew the whistle. "All right, good work! Jog back to the camp, and you're all done!"

The group let out a groan altogether, which earned a chuckle from their commanding officer, and they all ran back to their base as they said they would. Vector gave one last whistle blow before removing the thing around his neck.

"Man, even I was getting annoyed with that thing," he said, writing down on his clipboard. "All right, another great routine from you guys. Especially you, Tails. You've come a long way since we first started."

"Well, computers are normally my thing, but I don't want to sit there on my ass playing video-games all day," Tails chuckled. "And besides, I keep my mental muscles going enough as it is. Might as well add some physical muscles to it too."

"True," Vector smiled. "All right, it's break time for you guys. Sorry for the weird changes in routine as well, by the way. The whole Scourge thing has gotten everyone on edge, including Conway. He'll admit it himself, though, but I still wouldn't ask him if you want to keep your jobs."

Sonic nodded. "We'll keep our lips tight, sir."

"Good," Vector said. "Tails... I need to talk with you."

The yellow fox stood up from his bunk and walked over. "Sir?"

Vector handed a handful of documents to the fox. "Over the past couple of months, Scourge has been gathering whatever intelligence he can from Darius' base. These are new dossiers based on old soldiers."

Tails looked them over. "Wow... it's almost like the identities were totally wiped."

"You notice anything in common with them?" Vector asked.

Tails looked closer, seeing something in their former occupations. "They're... blank. Like they wanted to forget that they ever served over here."

"It's Darius' doing," said Vector. "Keep looking."

Tails flicked through more, seeing Scourge's file, and also seeing it like the others. "What... even Scourge?"

"It can't be on purpose," said Vector. "It's just a way for him to keep his cover. The other soldiers don't know this yet, but they will after you."

Tails nodded. "I get it. If they see it first, they might treat it as an act of insubordination and betrayal on Scourge's part. Maybe they'll think that he's not just undercover any more and actually wants to work for Darius..."

"That is the worry," said Vector. "We're going to have a meeting about it later where Conway will explain everything."

"With all due respect, sir," Tails said, "why am I finding out first? Everyone knows about Scourge's undercover work already. I'm sure that they'd understand either way."

"Conway wanted you to see them first," said Vector. "He wants to to try and formulate a plan before anything else is done. Anything that can help Scourge and Hooper will be a great help." The crocodile chuckled. "And besides, you pretty much live in the communications place. Others that work up there with you already know from their own commanding officers. Conway trusts you guys enough, it seems."

"Well, I might not be able to come up with a plan by the next meeting," Tails said.

"We know that," said Vector. "But just wait, okay? Scourge can handle himself."

"How much time do I have to come up with something?" Tails asked.

"As much time as you need," Vector said. "But you will be working with me and Conway on it. And yes, that information will also be told to the others at the meeting."

Tails nodded. "Yeah... okay..." He scratched his head. "I just don't really know how to handle this, is all."

"Well, figure it out. You're the smart one here."

Vector then took his leave with that, and Tails sighed as he sat down again. He looked over his photos of Cream and the pictures of their unborn child, smiling. After some food and another bit of training, Tails and his group were in a meeting room once more, with Vector and his projector front and centre.

"This here is the most recent picture of Hooper, taken two weeks ago," Vector said. It showed the grey cat in worsening condition, with his fur matted down due to a recent bucket of water. "Scourge is still torturing him only because he has to. But that's not the only reason you're here." He nodded to Tails. "If you would."

Tails nodded, handing copies of the folders around, which Vector had made and given to him in the time between last seeing him. "There is vital information in these folders," Tails said. "Vector and I urge you to read it."

"Haven't you got to read it too?" Knuckles asked.

"I already have..." Tails said.

Sonic seemed more confused, reading the profiles of the men before arriving at Scourge. "What the fuck..."

"This isn't Scourge's work," Vector said. "It's Darius. Another way of him trying to sever the link between himself and Conway."

"Saying that, this should also work for Scourge's cover, right?" Espio asked.

"It should, yes," said Vector. "But we don't know if it was him that signed it off or if it was Darius himself."

"So, what do we do?" Sonic asked.

"We pull them out," said Vector. "Or find a way to. And that's where Tails comes in."

The two-tailed fox sighed. "Look... I'm not really proud of knowing about this mission before you guys did. But I'm the best chance. I can find a way out for Scourge and Hooper. I just need some time. It's all still on Scourge's shoulders, really."

"So, what is the plan for you?" Sonic asked.

"I've got time to come up with one yet," Tails said. "At the moment, we wait it out. Me, Vector, and Conway will be working the most on it."

"So, it's mostly up to you guys, right?" asked Knuckles.

"Pretty much," Tails said. "But you guys are here to help too. If we're going to get our friends back, you're going to help us."

Vector smiled. "And don't worry about the when or the how. When Tails has something figured out, we'll let you know."

"So... what exactly does Tails need now?" Sonic asked, feeling more at ease.

"Blueprints," Tails said. "The only ones we really have are the prison area or just outside of it. We need more if we're going to crack into the base and do something."

"We need to be careful too," Vector said. "Drones might get caught, so aerial moves are out of the question."

"What about below?" Knuckles asked. "Is there anything we can do underground?"

"Not at the moment," Tails said, "but Scourge has seen some weird activity. Well, if this text I have is anything to go by."

Vector looked at it and read it out. "There's been some weird shit way around the back of the base. I think I saw bodies being buried there, but when I went to look, I didn't see anything. There might be a secret path, but I don't have authority to check for myself."

"That's the basics of it," Tails said. "Scourge is going to try and get something done about it, though."

"And he can't just fake Hooper's death, either," Vector added. "Even after all this time, they're still trying to coax information out of him."

"Since Scourge is doing the torturing, that makes him a prime suspect in FATE's eyes," Sonic said.

"Exactly. And because Scourge is torturing Hooper more to benefit us than to benefit Darius... it just feels weird to think of that..." Tails shuddered.

"Hey, we're going to get them both out of there," said Vector. "Scourge has kept his cover for this long. He can hold on for a little bit longer."

"Yeah... I guess you're right..." said Tails.

"Listen, you're the man with the plan, okay?" Vector said. "You've got this. I'm counting on you."

"No pressure..." Tails playfully muttered.

The green crocodile smirked at that and dismissed the room. They all left and went back to their main camp, sitting down as midday was starting to set in. Tails looked over his pictures again before seeing Sonic's face light up.

"Message from Amy?" Tails asked.

"Yeah... she's got a new gig. It's a deodorant commercial," Sonic said. "Look at the spray cans."

Tails looked and smiled. "It's blue... with bits of green..."

"Apparently, it smells like blueberries," Sonic smiled. "It's a new fragrance they're trying, and they asked her to be the one to showcase it. It's a weird way to keep me close, but... I don't care."

"No, I like it," Tails said. "I'd honestly be flattered if my girlfriend was going to star in ads where it had things based on me."

"So, Cream would be sleeping in beds filled with fluffy two-tailed cuddly toys?"

"Pretty much," Tails laughed. "It'd be a cute ad, though."

"That it would," Sonic said. "So... the new mission. You're basically the head honcho."

"Not yet, I'm not," said Tails. "We need it well planned if we want to pull it off. If any of us try anything to early, it could all go south really quick."

"Tails, you've worked your ass off and stayed up late so many nights in that comm room," Sonic said. "If anyone deserves this shot, it's you."

"But... I'm not a fighter."

"No, but your workouts have looked easier for you lately."

Tails smiled. "That's because I have a good coach."

"It's not just me," Sonic smiled. "Come on. Let's chill out while we still can before you have to go and be useful again."

"God forbid."

* * *

 **With Scourge...**

The green hedgehog woke sat up in his bed and scratched the back of his head. He checked the watch on his hands and shrugged, deciding to get out of his bunk. He saw others already awake, with Daly even squeezing in a quick workout where he was to warm up.

Scourge smiled. "Practising to beat me?"

"Nope," said Daly. "Just trying to stay in shape."

Chase smiled. "That's his third set already. The rest of us already went and got breakfast."

"I know that we're looser with the rules and shit, but it would be nice to be woken up earlier so that I can get things done," Scourge said drily.

"You don't have much to do," Chase smiled. "Usually, you just torture Hooper and go to meetings."

"Have I had to do either of those?"

"Jai's filling in for you when it comes to Hooper," said Daly, standing up from his push-ups. "She's been there about... half an hour. Time to shift over to you, I'm thinking."

Scourge seemed confused as he saw Jai walking over, wiping her hands and sighing. "He really is a tough nut to crack. Waterboarding doesn't work like it used to. Dude almost puked in the mask because of it."

"That's... kinda disgusting," said Chase.

"Hey, I said almost. He's fine. And awake." Jai turned to Scourge. "You want to give him another shot, big guy?"

"Yeah, because he'll listen to me," Scourge joked.

"Well, tough. You have to give it a shot."

Scourge sighed and nodded, standing up from his bunk. "I guess you're right."

"Hey, come on," said Daly. "Cheer up about it. You wiped that connection with Conway away on your own. You're officially one of us, now."

"That really makes it sound like a cult," the green hedgehog smiled. "Anyway, time to go to work."

"Not so fast," said Darius' voice from behind. "Scourge... I need you upstairs. Chase, you take over from him."

"Um... yeah, okay," Chase said, shrugging and leaving for the prisons.

"Scourge," Darius said, "with me."

Scourge bit his tongue and moved with Darius up into the main building, both reaching the office. Scourge took his seat and looked over at Darius' jacket to remember if he'd put the tracer there, thankful that said jacket was still draped over Darius' chair.

"You sure do like my jacket, huh?" the FATE commander asked.

"It's... different to Conway's. You still have some of the same honours and awards that he does, I've noticed," Scourge said.

"Well, we are brothers. We served together for many, many years in a lot of the same missions." Darius sat down and slipped it on, noticing Scourge's gulp. "What, you don't think that it looks good on me?"

Scourge smiled. "To be fair, it looks better than what Conway had."

Darius smiled back. "I appreciate the compliment, but that's not why you're up here."

"Then why, exactly?"

"You've been putting in good work with Hooper, but I've been watching you through our cameras when you're down there with him," Darius said. "You're really good at punching him in the face. But you need to be... harsher on him."

"Sir, with all due respect, Jai's already done the harsh stuff to him. Punching him in the face works just fine for me."

"It might work fine for you, but I'm your boss. And when things don't work for the boss, then shit needs to change, doesn't it?"

"Yeah..." Scourge nodded. "They do..."

"So, when it's your turn to go down there and try to get what you can from Hooper, what are you going to do besides hitting him in the face?"

Scourge grinned, hoping that it would throw Darius off his trail if anything. "I was thinking electricity. Or firing my gun and using the muzzle to burn him."

"No waterboarding?"

"Jai already did waterboarding. Wouldn't feel right to steal her thunder," Scourge said.

Darius smiled. "Well, I'd best see you do something new. Got that?"

"Yeah," Scourge nodded. "I got that."

"Good. Dismissed."

Scourge stood from his chair, gave a salute, and left the room, then the building, before heading over to the prison. He saw Chase in there, landing a punch to Hooper's stomach which caused him to spit out some blood.

"Ugh... you got it all over me," Chase said, backhanding Hooper's face. He curled that hand into a fist before Scourge grabbed it, causing him to turn and smile. "You want your turn?"

"Darius is done with me," Scourge said, turning to Hooper. "But I'm not done with him."

"Well, I'll leave you to it," Chase said. "You're better at this than I am anyway." He left, patting Scourge's shoulder on the way out.

The green hedgehog looked at Hooper, and held up his hand to look like a zero. During the time between tortures, Scourge developed a basic sign language method to help Hooper. If it was a zero, that meant that Scourge couldn't do much. But if it was a flat hand, that meant that Scourge could help more.

Hooper spat blood, which was his way of telling Scourge to do his worst. The green hedgehog nodded, kneeling down to put his hand against Hooper's face. There was dried blood there from earlier, along with some more bruises, with his left eye swollen shut.

Scourge sighed, tapping twice on himself as a way of apology before landing a harsh punch on Hooper's face. "What the fuck is wrong with you? Why do you not get that, if you give us what we want, we'll let you go?" Scourge punched Hooper in the stomach. "It's just that damn easy."

Hooper shook his head. "You can't... get what... you want... I'll never talk..."

Scourge smiled. "Maybe I can get you to." He grabbed the car battery nearby and clipped two ends to Hooper's shirt, going back over to the battery and slowly turning the dials there as electricity shot through the wires, shocking the grey cat in his seat. "Is it working yet? Are you done?"

Hooper shuddered as he replied. "Not unless... you put me... six feet deep..."

Scourge's eyes glared for a brief moment, and then he tapped himself three times for a more serious apology before turning the battery all the way up. The shocks reached Hooper's body and zapped through him, causing him to shake and choke where he sat before Scourge turned the wires down.

He walked over to him. "Just tell us what we need..."

"I... never... will help... FATE..."

Scourge held back the smile in his lips, happy that some semblance of Hooper was still there, making him feel deeply sorry for what he did next. "Then help me... because I'm the biggest problem that you have right now..."

He reared his fist back and threw it straight forward, knocking Hooper to the ground, chair and all. Scourge rained down heavy blow after heavy blow, causing fresh welts and cuts to form on Hooper's face until he stopped kicking under Scourge's weight, his head turning sideways as he fell unconscious.

Scourge lifted Hooper up. "All right... he's about done," he called out behind himself.

"Not unless I say so," said Daly.

Scourge sighed. "He's unconscious. He's beat up. Let him get his sleep."

"What's the point?" Daly asked, his Irish accent making the words sound threatening. "He won't give us what we want. May as well kill him."

"He needs sleep," Scourge said. "We can't get information out of a dead man. If we want help, then he lives." Scourge looked Daly in the eyes. "Your shift for torturing Hooper is over. As is everyone else's. Go."

Daly shook his head, turning to leave as he spread his arms. "Whatever you say... soldier boy."

Scourge flipped a bird behind Daly's back before going to Hooper, picking him up and taking him to his prison cell so that he could sleep easier. As he did, he leaned down to whisper something, even though Hooper may not hear it.

"We're going to get out of here soon..." Scourge said. "As soon as I find out what that thing is they have out the back there, we're taking it home, okay?"

"Hey," said a guard in front of the prison door. "You done in there?"

"Yeah," Scourge said. "I'm done." He looked back at Hooper and tapped himself three times and then stood up to leave, heading back to the main camp.

* * *

 **And another one done! Since it's a time skip chapter, I thought it'd be good to ram the three different settings into one! Also, I hope you like the dog family. And the whole chapter. And the story too. I like writing this one. Anyway, see you in the next one. Take care, and stay tuned.**


	10. Green Across The Board

It had been a few days since Tails had become the new overseer of the mission to get Scourge and Hooper back. Being the new head of the operation had taken a little bit away from Tails' personal time. Of course, he stuck to the routines of the other soldiers as and when he could, but it had felt like a month since he read his last letter from Cream. He knew that he had one waiting for him, but he hadn't gotten around to reading it. Or replying.

The fox himself was looking again over the dossiers. "Man... this is difficult..." He sighed in the communications room as he kept looking over the files.

"What's so hard about it?" asked Knuckles, popping up and smiling. "Scourge wiped his history with Conway clean to keep undercover. Seems easy enough to me."

"Hey there, big red," Tails smiled back. "What are you doing here?"

"What I'm doing here is giving you a chance to cool off a bit."

"I'd love to, but I can't. I have too much work to do, and-"

"Conway recommended it," said Knuckles. "You're supposed to be working more with him and Vector anyway, and they're still taking regular breaks. So you're going to take one too."

The yellow fox nodded. "Yeah, you're right." He sat up and stretched a bit, picking the files up.

"Leave them here," Knuckles said. "They'll still be here when you get back."

Tails smiled, putting the files back down and following the red echidna downstairs to their camp. Everyone was sharing some food around, and lights were on as well, with some rock music playing and some beers being drunk down.

"What's all this about?" Tails asked.

"This is your break," said Knuckles. "Just a little party to celebrate your work."

"My work?" Tails said. "It... it can't just be for me. You all do an amazing job."

"True, but considering how much you've achieved given your short time here, you need the most relaxation."

"As do I," Conway said, showing a beer bottle and inclining his head to Tails. Said fox was about to salute, but Conway raised his hand to stop him. "Tails, for a little bit, we're not soldiers here. We're friends. No need for formalities or salutes, okay? Just have a beer or just sit down and try to take a load off."

"But you're working on this case too," Tails said. "So is Vector."

"And we're taking time off," Vector said, laying back in his bed.

"I tried to tell him that," Knuckles said. "He still doesn't get it, it seems."

"You'd think that a kid as smart as him would be able to catch on quicker," Sonic joked.

Tails chuckled. "All right, fine. I guess I'll take a load off."

"Want a beer?" asked Knuckles.

"I don't see why not. But just one."

"Hey, who knows?" asked Sonic. "If we get more soldiers, we can have them join us. But they're totally cleaning up when someone makes a mess."

"Yeah..." Tails chuckled as Knuckles gave him a bottle of beer, the cap twisting off.

"Oh, and you have a letter too," Sonic said, zipping over to get it. "From your lovely lady."

Tails smiled. "Do you guys mind if I go and read this?"

"Go for it," said Conway. "We won't pry."

Tails did so, going over to his bed. He picked up the letter, and opened it up. He smiled and felt a small tear coming to his eye as he read through it, the part about the dog couple sticking with him hard. But the picture of the ultrasound stuck with him the most as he looked at it.

"She looks beautiful..." Tails smiled to himself. He sighed and put said picture and letter with the others that he had before turning. "Conway?"

"Yes, Tails?" the colonel asked.

"Do I have permission to write a letter back to my fiancee?"

"Hell yeah, you do," Conway smiled.

Tails chuckled, getting himself prepared to write said letter as he sat on his bed. He looked around, thankful that everyone had given him some space and privacy, with some even turning away to let him write in peace, having turned their backs when he read his letter in the first place.

He clicked his pen and began to jot down the message that he would send back.

"Dear Cream, it's fantastic news that our baby girl is still growing! Oh, she looks... so beautiful... much like you. I'm glad that you've been reconnecting more with people lately too. And it's nice of your mother to take care of our little girl when she's born. I do appreciate that so." He smiled as he kept going. "It's just really nice that you've been keeping busy. The irony is that I keep being told to work a bit less. And... my friends are right. Heck, as we speak, I'm having a chilled party with them. Just a beer, some food, good music... and with more good stuff to come in terms of our new mission, which I'm one of the heads of, it's all looking up so far. I... really, really, really can't wait to marry you when I get back. And I can't wait to see the new life that we'll bring into this world. I love you so much, forever and a day. Yours, Tails."

He put the letter in an envelope, writing the address, and adding it to the list of letters from other soldiers. As he did, he decided to take a look at said letters, seeing some with different symbols, addresses, and even the flags and colours of different countries in some rare cases.

"You okay?" Sonic asked.

"Uh... yeah..." Tails said. "I... I guess I never really thought about this, you know?"

"Thought about what?"

"All of the different soldiers here fighting for their families like I'm fighting for mine," Tails said. "Sonic, it's rare for me to swear, but if I fuck this up... a lot of soldiers' wives and husbands are going to be waiting for their hero to come home, and they're not going to get to see them again."

"Which is why you're not going to mess this up," said Sonic. "Come on, let's get back to having fun, okay?"

"Thank you," Tails said.

"And try not to get wasted on your one beer!"

Tails shook his head, rejoining his friend and the others in the camp. He had his drink and some food, finding the atmosphere and friendship and camaraderie calming, not to mention the news that he had received from Cream's letter.

Later, the party had died down, and after everyone was cleaned up, it was right back to work, with Tails going upstairs to the communications room again. He took his usual seat, plugging his headphones in and waiting around.

"Got anything yet?" Vector asked, joining him.

"I just sat down," Tails said. "It might take a while."

Vector produced a bottle of water for the fox. "It hasn't been long. I have faith in Scourge, but I doubt that we'll have something so soon after last time."

Tails nodded, but his eyes lit up when he saw one of the lines beeping. "Wait..." He typed into his computer quickly to see something. He pressed a button to bring up footage of Scourge starting to speak.

"This is Scourge of the 44th Chimera Regimen under Colonel Tyson Conway, currently undercover for FATE under Darius Conway. I don't know when this message will get out, but there was a power shortage, and the other guards aren't here to watch over Hooper. I don't have a lot of time. Hooper knows about an underground passage. We noticed some dead bodies being taken somewhere, but I didn't have authority to see it for myself. I still haven't seen it, but... people that go back there don't come back, and nobody talks about any bodies. There is a way out of this shit-hole. I know it. I just hope that it's the right one."

The lights started to activate again, and Scourge quickly turned things off on his end. Tails saw the line still beeping, and pumped his fists slightly. "Yes! Oh, wow... all that work that went into them, and it paid off..."

"What... happened, exactly?" Knuckles asked.

"I got a signal boosted from the tracers that Scourge place around Darius' base," Tails said. "He got a chance to communicate with us, and as big a risk it was, he took it."

"We have a way into Darius' base now," said Vector. "We just know that it's underground, but we don't know where."

"So, if we find the path..." Knuckles started.

"Then we find a way to cripple them and flush them out," said Vector.

"Well, when do we start?"

Tails stood. "We need to find the entrance, at least. I'll need a drone."

"Luckily, they can reach that far," Vector said. "You know how to fly them, right?"

"Let's just say that me and the sky have a pretty good relationship," Tails smiled.

"All right, I'll get it all ready," Vector said. "Remember, we just need to confirm it. We're not busting in just yet."

"I know," Tails replied. "But still... we have a shot. We need to take it."

Later, everything was prepared to go. Tails had a remote in his hands which was attached to a screen which would show him where the drone went. He saw a group of wheels tucked under the drone, knowing what they were for and hoping that he wouldn't have to make too much noise.

"All right..." Tails said. "Commencing in three... two... one... now!"

The drone flew up into the sky, with Tails turning it until it was facing the right way. With a little bit of will and a push of the control sticks, the drone zipped off in that direction, using the tracking signal that it had to help guide its way.

* * *

 **Back with Scourge...**

The green hedgehog was in the gym, having just eaten some lunch. He laid back on a bench, taking up the weights that were there, and he started lifting them up. After a few pumps up and down, he saw a shadow over him, seeing Daly above him.

"Need a spotter?" he asked.

"Nah. I'm good."

"Working out so that you can hit Hooper harder?" Daly chuckled. "What's the plan? Hit him so hard that the words just fall out of his mouth?"

"Well, I tried that," Scourge said. "Talking doesn't work. Fists don't work. Water, electricity... I even held a blowtorch to his face the other day. Whatever he's made out of, it's nothing that I can knock out of his system."

"Or maybe Tyson's regimen is tougher than we thought?" Daly asked, her voice almost too calm as he reached behind his pocket.

"Yeah... I guess so..." Scourge said, seeing the reach and trying hard to pretend that he didn't.

"You know," Daly started, "I got locked in a few Irish prisons. Nothing too serious. But do you know why I survived that long?"

"I don't really care, to be honest."

Daly smiled. "I survived by not being a snitch."

"Considering that you had to drink through a straw for most of those prison trips, I'm surprised that you're still talking," Scourge said.

Daly loosened the grip of whatever was behind him. "True... but even if I could have spoken, I wouldn't have. I wouldn't have sold anybody out, and I never did."

"And you wonder why you suck so much ass in a fight," Scourge said, giving one final lift before resting the weights.

"You done?" Daly asked. "Don't mind spotting me, do you?"

"No... not at all..." Scourge sighed.

Daly lifted and dropped the weight, with Scourge helping him hold it. After another lift, an alarm went off, indicating the shifts changing. And since Scourge hadn't gone to meet Hooper yet, he turned to see Daly with the weights.

"Sorry. Got a job to do."

"Well, how about I come with ya?" Daly asked.

"Why?" Scourge asked. "Ain't you got better shit to do? Guard duty? Making sure that nobody else drinks all the booze?"

"That was one time."

"One time late last night," Scourge said. "Same as every other night."

Daly shook his head. "Just take me with you, yeah? There's no rule against it."

"This place is really loose about that..." The green hedgehog shook his head. "All right, fine. But I'll be watching you, so don't try anything stupid, okay?"

"Don't try anything stupid? Like what? Stuff that would actually get us information?" Daly shook his head.

"It's like I've said a ton of times: We don't get information from a dead man. Especially if that man is Hooper. He is a valuable asset, and we need him alive. I swear to you, after we get what we need out of him, you can do whatever you want to him. But until then, I'm the one running his face into the ground, not you." Scourge stepped closer. "You got that?"

Daly grinned. "Yes, sir."

"Okay, now you're just doing it on purpose."

"Only because it's so easy."

Scourge shook his head, leading the way over to the prisons with Daly following behind him. As he walked, he looked overhead to see a faint black dot in the sky, causing him to stand still for a brief moment and squint his eyes.

"What's that?" Daly asked.

Scourge shrugged. "Beats me. Probably just some bird or something."

The two went the rest of the way into the prison, and they heard the sound of blows landing and some blood being spat out after that, followed by obscenities and demands from the man doing the torturing, who then landed another blow.

"Give us what we want!" he said.

"Oi!" Daly spoke up. "It's Scourge's turn. Get the fuck out."

The torturer grunted, turning to kick Hooper in the stomach one more time before leaving. Scourge walked up, noticing that they lights were on, glaring in Hooper's face. It showed new welts, some cuts, and some wetness from a cup of water recently being flung at him.

"All right, mate," Daly said. "Show me how you go to work on him."

"This is why you're here?" Scourge asked. His hands were low on his sides, and he formed a zero with his left hand since Daly was on his right. "You want to watch me torture him?"

"I just want to see exactly what you do," Daly shrugged. "Nothing wrong with wanting to take pride in someone else's work. In fact, I'll go grab a seat."

"Fine," Scourge said. He turned his attention to Hooper. "Man... it's been a long time of me torturing you. You really are made of strong stuff..." He reached a hand out onto Hooper's shoulder, tapping it a few times. "You know, I really should kill this son of a bitch. I've had a real hankering for it as of late." He looked at Hooper when he said it, but it wasn't Hooper who he thought about killing.

"And you were just telling me how you need him alive," said Hooper. "Sort of ironic, isn't it?"

Scourge smiled. "Yeah, I know. I sound like a hypocrite. Which makes me sound like a lot of people around these parts." As his body was turned, blocking Daly's view of Hooper, he showed a flat hand but it was turned upwards, meaning that while Scourge couldn't help, either he'd be able to soon or the rest of the regimen would be there soon.

Daly smiled. "Well, don't just sit above this motherfucker. Hit him. Oh, and any tools that you may need, tell me."

Scourge nodded. "Hmm... the pliers might do well."

Daly got said item and handed them over. "Here you go."

"Ah, how kind." Scourge pocketed them. "But before I use them, I'd best knock something loose first... let's just hope that it's useful..."

Scourge then stood back, saw that Hooper was dribbling some blood from his mouth. That was the sign that Hooper wanted Scourge to go easy on him, and then Scourge realised how much more dangerous the situation suddenly got just from that alone.

Scourge simply nodded, however, and went to work. He cocked his fist back and threw it as hard as he could, pulling slightly at the last second to do less damage. It still caused Hooper's head to bounce back and spit up some blood into the air.

"Oh, nice one!" Daly said. "That was a good shot, mate!"

"Thank you," Scourge said, turning back to Hooper. "Tell me what I want to know! What is the next plan for Tyson Conway and the Chimera Regimen?"

Hooper then spat blood at Scourge's face, causing the plan to change since he knew that Scourge had to keep his cover. "Fuck... you..."

"You see, that was both a poor choice in action and a poor choice in words," the green hedgehog said. He threw another punch and it cracked across Hooper's jaw hard. "If you keep speaking up, I might just pull out your tongue."

"I'll bite it off... before I... sell out my friends..." Hooper grinned. "And I'll spit it... right in your face..."

Scourge smiled, rearing his hand back to slap Hooper. "You feel that? That disrespect? That's what you're showing to me right now. So when you do bite your tongue, you'd better swallow it hole. Because I swear to god that I'll make you do just that."

"Go... fuck... yourself..."

Scourge sighed. "This could have been so much easier..." He threw another punch, hitting Hooper hard again. "You could have just told me." He turned and threw an elbow, sure that he knocked a tooth loose. "But you just..." A hard right. "Don't..." A kick to the stomach. "Get it..."

"That's it, fuck him up!" Daly cheered.

Scourge looked up to the small window in the cell, seeing the black dot flying away once again before turning his attention back to Hooper. "You... you think you're going to get out of this alive? Give is some information, you stubborn son of a bitch!"

Daly walked over, patting Scourge's back as he spoke to Hooper. "If I were you, I'd listen to my friend here."

"Shut up," Scourge said to Daly.

"I'm just trying to help you."

"You're here to watch," Scourge said. "You want to help? Go sit your ass back down. And get me the blowtorch..."

Daly grinned, grabbing the device in question and handing it over. "It surely is a pleasure to watch you work..."

* * *

 **Back at Conway's base...**

The yellow fox smiled to himself as he dropped the drone down onto the ground. He was very careful to not get seen, and everywhere he went, he made sure to snap some pictures. Sure enough, as he said he would, he came across where the entrance to the tunnel would be, making sure to take more pictures.

As he called the drone back up, he furrowed his brow as he saw Scourge in the reflection, beating up the bloodied Hooper. Still, Tails knew that it was for Scourge's cover, and he focused back on his own mission, returning the drone safely to his base.

"You did it!" Sonic said. "Good work!"

"Indeed," Vector agreed. "But we need to get those pictures copied and send out for help. I'll get them to Conway right away."

Tails handed him the drone. "Need help with it?"

"We'll handle this part," Vector said. "You can get some rest. Oh, and good work."

"Thanks." Tails chuckled a bit as Vector left. "So... that was something..."

"What was it like being in FATE's base?" Sonic asked.

"I don't think that I'd do it justice," Tails answered. "We'll ask Scourge that when we get him out of there."

"And Hooper too," Espio added. "Poor guy..."

"I saw Scourge beating him up again," Tails said. "I think he started to use a blowtorch, but I pulled out before I got there."

"Are you kidding? The way that you sneaked around, you could have stood in one place all day and not been seen," Knuckles smiled.

"Eh, probably," Tails shrugged. "But I wanted to just focus on the mission. Get in, get the info, get out."

"So, you think we're ready?" Sonic asked. "You are the head honcho of the mission."

"I would love to say yes," Tails replied, "but we'll wait until Vector and Conway give us something. We need the backup for a mission this big."

"And do you think you'll have to fire a gun?"

Tails looked down at the pistol he had holstered. "I'm starting to think so."

"Well..." Knuckles said, breaking the awkward silence that followed. "Let's get back to our jobs, I guess."

Tails smiled. "You guys go ahead. I'm going to take a nap."

"We'll wake you up when it's lunch," Sonic said. "Have a good one, bud."

Tails showed a thumbs up in thanks, going to his bunk and climbing into his bed, soon drifting off to sleep and having dreams of himself and Cream, wedding bands on both their fingers as they held their baby girl. Said images gave Tails a genuine smile as he slept.

* * *

 **A little bit more back and forth with this one, but as always, I enjoyed writing it! So, yeah, next time is the big mission. It'll probably be the most action-packed chapter of this story. I hope to see you then. Take care, and stay tuned.**


	11. Sound The Horn

Cream the rabbit was sat down, tears coming to her eyes. She'd just gotten the newest letter from Tails, and the water that left her eyes was that of joy, of course. But it was also of fear, and to make sure that she wasn't hallucinating, to make sure that it said exactly what was written down, she fought back any further crying, picked up the letter, and read it again.

"Dear Cream, I know that it's been a couple of weeks since my last letter, and I'm sorry if I worried you. But we recently had major breakthroughs in our current mission, and tomorrow... tomorrow is when we undertake that mission. We're going into a den of savages, of men who bucked Conway's orders to join his brother and turn against us. They're dangerous, but we know how to beat them. And we will. And when we do, we're going to end this war down the line. I... I miss you. I don't know if I'll be able to make it to our daughter's birth, but I will be able to see her. And you. I love you both, and I'm sorry that I won't be back sooner. It might be best for you not to write back until things are all okay. I'm really sorry... I'll see you soon. Love, Tails."

Cream wept again. She wept because of the joy of knowing that Tails would succeed. That he and the rest of his regimen would take on FATE and take back what was theirs. Joy that, after the first base is taken, more will be gone, with more good soldiers to guide the way. Joy that everyone would get back home to their families, their wives, husbands, children, and so on, and they could celebrate now that the fighting is over and that they won.

And she also wept due to fear. Fear that Tails might succeed, as would his regimen, but perhaps not all of them. And even if they did, they may not be whole when they win. Fear that even if they did win today, the next bases might not be so easy. Fear that many could die, good people from both sides could never get the chance to see their families ever again, and those that did would return home as having lost the war.

"I can't believe it..." Cream cried. "My l-love... my Tails... I could... no! I... c-can't... think that way... I shouldn't think l-like that..." She sat up and grabbed a tissue to clean her eyes. "It'll be okay..." She cleaned her eyes and blew her nose as her phone went off again, and she answered it. "H-Hello?"

"Cream? Darling, what's wrong?" asked her mother on the other end.

"Hi, mum..." Cream said. "Just... worried..."

"About what?" Vanilla asked.

"Tails... he's going to be part of a d-dangerous mission today... a-and if it's successful, that's good because then h-his group can carry on and stop more bad things, but-"

"Slow down," Vanilla said, stopping Cream from rushing through things. "Just take a deep breath, calm down, and talk to me, okay?"

Cream nodded, stopping and taking a breath before speaking. "I'm really scared... I... I don't want to lose him..." Cream sighed. "It's bad enough that he might not make it to see our daughter be born, but... I'd prefer that over him not making it back at all..."

"Cream... let me tell you something that you already know," Vanilla said. "Bad things have to happen in wars for good things to come out of it. Tails might get hurt, and he might have to kill to stop others from getting hurt as well. Lives will be lost, and even those who survive may not be... well, all there..."

"I know..." Cream nodded. "I just hope that Tails is one of the lucky ones..."

"They can't all be so lucky, I'm afraid," Vanilla sighed. "But, when Tails does come back... he won't change much. I promise, no matter what he goes through out there, no matter what hellish things he witnesses... when he returns, when he sees your face, when he sees your beautiful daughter... he'll instantly be that same man again."

"You think so?" Cream asked.

Vanilla smiled. "I really do. I think that he'll be the same, but better. You just have to wait a little bit longer, okay?"

Cream nodded. "O-Okay..."

"You promise?"

The younger rabbit giggled. "I promise..."

Vanilla laughed a bit too. "Now, as to why I called... how about a stop by the cafe with some friends this weekend? Just to celebrate how well Tails is doing?"

"I'd like that..." Cream nodded. "I'll see who I can wrangle up."

"Hehe, good," Vanilla said. "See you then. I love you."

"I love you too."

The two rabbits then hung up, and Cream looked at the letter from Tails again. Instead of crying, this time she kissed it. She would have written one back, but she decided to follow Tails' orders to not write back until she had received another letter from him again.

* * *

 **Back at Conway's base...**

Tails sighed, looking down at the plans in his hand one last time as he looked up at the convoy trucks before him. "Man... my stomach feels bad..."

"Then take some Dramamine," Sonic smiled next to him. "Or save that for when we're actually on the truck."

Tails chuckled. "It's... weird, man. All the work that we've done, all of the torture that Scourge has had to put Hooper through just to keep his cover... it's all paying off today..."

"It damn well better," said Vector. "I didn't guide you all this way for you to falter. I made you the head of this one for a reason, and I expect you to prove me right."

Tails nodded. "I... I know. I guess I'd better not mess this up."

Vector smiled. "Got that right." He clapped Tails on the back. "I'll be at the front with Conway. We'll all get there. And just stick to the plan, okay?"

"Okay..." Tails nodded.

Vector nodded, going up to sit in the front with Conway. Tails cleared his throat, going up to join his commanders and sitting in the back of their truck with Sonic and the others hopping in as well. As they sat, Tails looked at the picture of Cream in his hands.

"All right, let's get going!" said Conway. The truck then started off, and Tails sighed.

"Don't worry," said Sonic, resting a hand on Tails' shoulder. "You're going to get back to her in one piece."

"I sure hope so..." said the two-tailed fox. "Should I sent out the text to Scourge?"

"Yeah, let him know we're coming," Sonic smirked, watching as Tails did just that. "And now, we enjoy the ride."

Over at Darius' base, Scourge was enjoying some lunch on his own free time. He had to admit, he did enjoy being able to do things on his own schedule in FATE, especially when that meant being able to eat pizza in the comfort of his own bed.

He had a few slices, biting into one and engulfing it with no issues. As he went for his second one, his phone vibrated. Luckily, everybody else seemed to be either sleeping or just not around the barracks, busy with other stuff, so he put his plate down and answered.

"Hello?"

"Time to sound the horn," said Conway's voice, hanging up.

Scourge chuckled a bit, putting his phone back and looking far in the distance to see a truck leading a convoy of them. He rushed into the main building and went up to Darius' office, opening the door and making a point to look worried and impatient.

"Sir! We have intruders!"

Darius looked over his monitors, seeing the convoy and growling. He went over to a microphone, speaking into it. "Attention all soldiers! This is not a drill! The Chimera Regimen are on their way here! I repeat, this is not a drill! Get prepared to fight those sons of bitches!"

"Wait, what do I do?" Scourge asked as Darius put the mic down.

"You do down to the prison and stand guard over Hooper! We need to make sure that they don't get to him!"

"O-Okay..." Scourge said.

As Darius picked up his jacket, he chuckled a bit. "I'll be hones with you, though... you played an impressive long con."

"Sir?" Scourge asked.

"You even wiped your name from other databases to stick to your cover!" He reached for the tracker under the table, throwing it at Scourge. "You... you are one sly son of a gun! I have to admit, you might just be the biggest traitor here!"

"I..." Scourge sighed. No point in lying. "Yeah, okay. I'm undercover for Conway." He smiled. "But it doesn't matter, because he's storming up here to kick your ass and-"

Scourge was cut off as a bullet hit his chest, and he looked down to see blood spurting from it. He fell down onto his knees, looking up at Darius as blood started to dribble from his mouth before his eyes closed and he fell on his side.

"See... honesty is important," said Darius. "But I will not tolerate bullshit like the kind that you've flung around for fucking months. Do you think that I don't have this place scrubbed and checked just because of who we are?" He smiled. "You're just another example of a soldier that my dumb fucking brother sent to the slaughter... and your friends are next."

He then put his silenced pistol back into his pocket, looking out the window again to see Conway. He grinned as he saw his soldiers gathering around while the convoy reached a certain point a few feet away from the entrance gate, and his brother spoke via his own radio.

"Darius!" Tyson said. "This has gone on long enough! We just want Hooper and Scourge back! Hand them over quietly, and nobody will get hurt!"

Darius chuckled, going over to his radio. "That's the thing about war, my brother! People always get hurt!"

"Then you leave us no choice!"

Tyson then hanged up and rammed the gate hard, causing it to fall apart. As he did, soldiers began flooding in from around the truck that he was in, with Tails, Sonic, and their group amongst them. They stormed through the gates and began fighting the enemy soldiers as soon as they got through, Conway and Vector included.

"I don't remember this being part of the plan!" Tails said, fighting off a soldier and hopping into some cover.

"Well, the part of the plan that doesn't seem to be here is Scourge!" said Sonic. "We should find him!"

"Good fucking luck with that!" said Daly. "You want to find that prick?"

"Yes, please," said Sonic. "I'll go through you to do it if I have to."

"No." Daly pointed at Tails. "I want the fox."

"How about me?" Knuckles asked. "Pick on someone more your speed."

Daly smiled, rushing to brawl with Knuckles. Jai and Chase were busy fighting with Espio and Vector, respectively, and Tails looked around, seeing bullets flying and striking people down on both sides, blood spurting and blows landing.

"Tails?" Sonic snapped his fingers at his friend's face. "Snap out of it! Stick to the plan!"

"Yeah... yeah! The plan!" Tails nodded.

Sonic looked over. "That over there looks like where they keep Hooper. We've got to go over there, okay?"

"Okay..." Tails breathed.

"Oh, forget this!"

Sonic grabbed Tails' arm and rushed with him past the gunfire and fighting, making a beeline to the prison block. Inside were some guards, and Sonic cut through them, using his gun and some good knife work as well to dispatch them.

"You know," Sonic said, "the sooner that you start firing, the better."

"I... I know..." Tails said.

"Then do it! Stop telling me that you know, and do it! You can't hesitate here!"

"The others will be around soon," Tails said. "Let's just... not focus on me, okay?"

Sonic shook his head. "Fine."

"Urgh..." Hooper's voice sounded off near them. "Who... who goes there?"

Sonic and Tails rushed over to the grey cat. "Hooper!" said Tails. "Oh, good God... what happened?"

"Scourge, mostly..." said Hooper. "We developed... a system... if not for that... it'd be a lot worse..."

"We're going to get you out of here," said Sonic. "Scourge too."

"He's in... the main office..." said Hooper. "Darius' office... he... might have caught on..."

"We've got to get up there!" said Sonic.

"We can't," said Tails. "There's a ton of guards blocking it."

Sonic smiled. "Then we'd best go for phase two."

Tails smiled back, pulling his radio up. "Team Two, you're up!"

Outside, as the FATE soldiers fought, they realised they were getting the upper hand, fighting off the Chimera troops and pushing them back. But when some trucks circled around their sides and soldiers came spilling out of said trucks, they suddenly didn't feel so confident.

"Get them!" said one of the soldiers.

"That's the ticket!" Tails said to himself, talking to his radio. "Conway, we've got Team Two in! We need to find a way to get to Darius!"

"Me and Vector will use the distraction to sneak in!" Conway replied. "I'll try and talk some sense into my brother! You two get Hooper back to the truck and then rejoin us!"

Tails nodded. "You heard the big boss! Let's get moving!"

Sonic nodded back, not using his speed due to Hooper's condition. The two managed to sneak around, guiding Hooper to their truck and putting him in the back. A few moments later, a medic joined them, looking over Hooper.

"He's badly damaged, but he'll live," said the medic. "All the torture... he's brave to have held out this long."

"Speaking of which..." Hooper said. "I have... something... to say..."

"You need to stay still," the medic said. "I've got to fix you up."

Hooper sighed. "The tunnels... they're not just... for dead bodies..." He coughed a bit. "They told me so when they saw your trucks coming... they've got soldiers underground... and explosives... we need to abort..."

"But we've come so far already," Tails said.

"And they know it..." Hooper said. "That tracker... it allowed them to trace things back... they knew you were coming..."

"Then why are we winning?"

"Because they're not trying yet," Sonic said. "We need to pull out before it gets too dangerous."

Tails was about to reply, but he felt movement under his feet. "Shit..." He reached for his radio. "This is Tails! We need to abort the mission! Repeat, abort mission!"

"We can't!" said Conway. "We've come too damn far to go back home now!"

"If we don't stop this, none of us will make it back home!" said Tails. "Darius has troops underground! They're coming to get us!"

"No!" said Conway. "I made you head of this, sure, but I'm still your leader. And what I say goes. So when I say we stay, that means that we stay."

"But-"

"Do you copy?"

Tails grunted. "Yes, sir."

"So... we're staying?" Sonic asked.

"Looks that way," said Tails. "Let's go join him and meet up with Darius."

The blue hedgehog nodded, giving a thankful pat on the back of the medic before they both left. Sonic used his speed this time, with Tails using his flight, both heading to Darius' main building. There were some guards protecting it, but Sonic fought some down, soon reaching the door. He tried opening it, but the lock was jammed.

"Shit!" He pulled harder. "Come on!"

"I'll do it!" Tails said. "I can hack into it!"

Sonic stood aside, looking around and keeping Tails safe as he hacked into the door. He managed to figure out the pad's code, and as soon as the door opened, Sonic was knocked against the wall hard, causing him to drop his gun.

"Dammit!" Sonic said, struggling in his attacker's grip. He tried to reach for another weapon, but soon felt the life being choked out of him as the attacker's grip tightened on his neck. "T-Tails..." he gasped. "H-Help!"

Tails took a breath, reaching for his gun. He aimed it at the attacker, who froze. "Go on, you little prick! Shoot me! You better do it quick before I snap this bastard's neck like a twig!"

The yellow fox closed his eyes before opening them, aiming and shooting the attacker in his shoulder. He backed away in pain, causing Sonic to break free and roll to his own gun, turning to fire and hitting him right between the eyes.

"Phew..." Tails said.

"Good work," Sonic replied. "Now, come on! We've got to..." He felt his feet rumble and turned around. "Oh, fuck... that is not good..."

Tails turned around as well, seeing what Sonic was cursing at. As Hooper had said, soldiers were storming up from underground, appearing from around the barracks and prisons and training grounds and... everywhere, really. The Chimera soldiers started backing away as more came out.

"Dammit!" Tails yelled. "I told him! I told him we need to pull out!"

"Tails, calm down!" Sonic said.

"Calm down?" said Tails. "We need to get the hell out of here! And all because our stupid fucking commander didn't listen!" Tails sighed. "I even asked him, you know? I asked him if that story about him keeping those other soldiers out for too long was true, and he said yes. He's doing the exact same shit to us!"

"Yeah, I noticed!" Sonic said. "But getting angry about it now won't get us anywhere! If we're going to get pissed, we do it after this shit-storm has passed, okay?"

Tails growled. "Okay... fine!"

Sonic sighed. "Look... we just... we have to carry on. It's our only shot."

The yellow fox nodded, getting his mic again. "Teams Three and Four, both of you get in, now! We've got underground troops!"

"On it!" said the other trucks.

Tails hung up. "That's the last of them."

"Come on," Sonic said, going inside the building with Tails.

"Let's hope they can hold them off."

"Hey, it's your plan," Sonic said. "They'd damn well better."

The two looked around inside the building, finding it surprisingly similar to their own base. They didn't let this shake their train of thought, however, and they pressed further in. Due to all the soldiers fighting outside, it was now much more eerily silent.

"Sonic! Tails!" said Darius' voice over the intercom. "I was wondering where you ran off to. Turns out you're right here! Please, do come up to my office. I have a gift for you."

The two Mobians seemed confused, but they shrugged it off and went up into Darius' office. They were on guard for any surprise attacks, but were even more surprised that nobody else seemed to be in the building except for them and Darius.

They reached his door, and Sonic spoke first. "Darius?"

"In here!" he replied. "Please, do come in!"

The two did so, seeing the man in question turned around in his chair. Sonic and Tails held their guns up as they slowly walked over, and as they did, Tails saw a trail of blood leading around to where the chair was, growing concerned.

"Looks like you had some fun in here," Sonic commented.

Darius chuckled. "I did. But it got a lot more interesting when you brought in those other trucks. Smart thinking."

"You get shot or something?" Tails asked. "Looks kinda messy."

"Oh," Darius said, turning around. "It wasn't me." He stepped forward, picking up Scourge's body from the ground. "It was this traitor."

Sonic and Tails saw the wound in Scourge's chest, and all the blood around it. They both wanted to throw up, but they kept their composure as Tails spoke. "What did you do?"

"I shot him. Right in the heart." Darius stepped forward. "See, he thought he was being smart. Making up a secret code with Hooper to talk to him, planting the tracker, sending out messages and pictures to you when he could... but he was always careful not to stay too long, so we never found you." Darius laughed a bit more. "Of course, it didn't matter, because you found us! And it's all thanks to him!" The evil commander laid Scourge back down on the ground for them. "If there is one thing that I'll grant, it's the chance to give him a proper burial."

"Why would it matter to you if someone who betrayed you got that privilege?" asked Sonic.

"Because in about three minutes, this entire base is going to explode. And it's planning on taking you down with it."

"WARNING! SELF-DESTRUCT IN ONE MINUTE!" said a booming robotic voice over the intercom.

"Huh... guess I was a bit early," Darius shrugged.

"Why blow this all up?" Sonic asked. "You have men out there! Men who are fighting and dying for you right now!"

Darius smiled. "Because I am loyal to them. They already know the dangers of fighting alongside me. But you never knew the dangers of being under Tyson's rule, did you? I must ask... you knew the stories of what he did and why other soldiers have turned over. And he would have admitted to it. So, why stick by him? Is it really as simple as him being more virtuous and righteous than me?"

"Kind of..." Tails said. "At least he didn't try to blow all his men up."

"Oh, trust me, if it were him, he would have just killed you," said Darius. "But I'm smart enough to take out both sides. If my side can't win, then neither side can."

"Neither side?" asked Sonic.

"ONE MINUTE AND SIXTEEN SECONDS REMAINING!"

"Wait..." Tails said. "You're not just blowing this base up, are you?"

Darius smiled. "I already got the word from the other generals of FATE. They have their own armies to fight against. Some could even be in the same situation that I'm in. But they'll all go. And, like my men here, they already know what's coming. And your time is running out."

Sonic looked up and around, rushing up to grab Darius' collar. "What kind of sick bastard are you? Huh?"

"It's not my fault that my brother's an idiot!" said Darius. "You knew what he'd done. You knew what he'd already put soldiers through... and yet you follow him. You poor damned fools."

Sonic grunted, pushing Darius over to his chair and firing a shot into his chest. Then another. And then three more. Tails seemed shocked at it more than anything, but walked over to pick up Scourge, holding him up as Sonic went to Darius, closing his eyes and removing his dog-tags.

"Rest in peace..." Sonic said. "And rot in Hell..."

"Come on!" Tails said.

Sonic nodded, using his speed to pick up Tails on the way to their truck. They laid Scourge down next to Hooper, who looked down at the green hedgehog and started to weep some tears from his bloodied eyes, the droplets landing on the floor of the truck with little splashes.

Tails grabbed his radio. "All units! We need to evacuate immediately! Darius is dead, and he's rigged all FATE bases to blow! I repeat, the base is rigged to blow! We need to go now!"

Conway then came in. "Do as he says! We got what we wanted! Get back to the base, now!"

The other soldiers began to clamour, some fighting their way back to the trucks, some running for it, and some failing to manage either. The ground beneath began to rumble louder and louder as the soldiers rushed more.

"Come on!" Tails said. "We're going to make this!"

Sonic quickly zipped around to bring about whoever he could, but as he kept going, he tripped up over a falling soldier's body, landing hard on his front. He tried getting back up, but a FATE soldier grabbed his ankle, and he turned to kick him away.

"FIVE SECONDS LEFT!"

Sonic was about to fight more, but managed to dodge some attacks from the soldier he was fighting, and he rushed as the truck was leaving, jumping into the back. As he did, the shock-wave of underground explosions began, chasing the trucks as they drove off.

Since Tails and Sonic were in the rear end of the convoy, they were shook by the waves, getting more and more slowed down by them before their truck was then upended, turning up onto its front and spinning over on its side, causing those inside to panic.

"Shit..." Sonic said.

"That's underselling it..." Tails said.

Sonic shook his head, feeling the rumbles grow close to them. "Well... damn... I guess this is it, huh?"

Tails shuddered. "I... I don't want it to be. I've got a lady to get home to..."

"You're not giving up on her, huh?"

"No..."

Hooper looked up. "Looks like we're good..."

Tails and Sonic looked up too, seeing a helicopter coming in. It hooked a magnet to the truck, lifting it so that it was right side up before starting to fly back to the base. Tails and Sonic took their seats in the truck again, patting each other's backs and smiling.

"We... we did it..." Sonic said. "Took down... all of FATE..."

Tails nodded, looking at Scourge's body. "It wasn't a clean win... but it wasn't exactly a Pyrrhic victory, either."

"It wasn't a clean win, but we won," the blue hedgehog said. "And, hey, turns out that you're a good shot."

"The intent was to hurt, not kill," Tails said. "Besides, if it meant saving those I cared about... I'd kill if I had to."

Hooper chuckled. "You... you don't have that in you... you're too good..." He coughed a bit. "Why even fight in the first place?"

Tails smiled. "People needed me. Needed all of us. I'm no Desmond Doss, but... I know that I'm not a hero. I was just the fox with the plan." He looked at Scourge. "Him... he's the real hero..."

"I'm sorry... I could only do so much from my end..." Hooper said.

"Hey, it's not your fault," Sonic said. "Scourge... did his best. And it was good enough for us to win. That's all that matters."

"You boys okay back there?" asked Conway over the microphone.

"We're fine, sir!" Sonic said. "Air support got us out of a bind! And..."

"And what?"

Tails sighed. "We lost Scourge, sir. Darius killed him."

"Did you kill Darius?"

"If we didn't, he would have blown himself up," said Sonic. "I... I pulled the trigger, sir. Quite a few times."

Conway was silent. "I'm... I'm sorry for leaving you in there. We'll talk more when you get back. For now, you boys relax. But just remember, FATE is no more. And it's all because of you."

"Yeah..." Tails said. "Over and out."

Sonic smiled at Tails. "Ready to head home?"

Tails nodded. "Too damn right."

The two gave another smile before turning around, seeing the building behind them explode, going down and no doubt taking the dead soldiers of both sides with it. As they kept flying, Tails saw more bases in far off distances also exploding, and while it made him happy that they won, it was still sad seeing that much life taken so quickly.

"Are you okay?" Sonic asked, snapping Tails out of it.

"Yeah..." the yellow fox said, clearing his throat. "Let's... let's go home..."

* * *

 **And here it is, as promised! The most action-filled chapter and second longest so far in the story! So, yeah, it's sort of the halfway point or just before it now, I guess. Neither this nor Foxhunt were intended to be super long anyway, so there you go. I'll see you soon for more Foxhunt, and I hope you liked this chapter. Take care, and stay tuned.**


	12. Clear Out

A few days had passed since they took down FATE's main base, and Tails had woken up happily. But as he looked around, he noticed that everyone else had left already. He got out of bed and got changed into his army fatigues, seeing a note stuck to the side of Sonic's bunk.

"Tails, we're in the mess hall. Come meet us when you read this. Sonic." Tails shrugged. "Well, I'd best do just that, then."

He put the note in his pocket as he walked over to the main building. Before going over, he looked to the left side of it. He saw Scourge's makeshift grave there, buried with a wooden cross under some dirt and rocks. Tails' hands still felt raw from having to do the digging the previous day.

He walked over and put his hand on the cross. "I'm sorry for what happened. It... it was my plan. Part of my plan was that nobody got killed or hurt, you know? And... I messed up. I'm sorry." He bit back some tears. "But it's not in vain. All of FATE is gone, and we get to go home because of what you did. Hooper is safe because of what you did. We're still alive... because of you. I might have came up with the plan, but you're the one who executed it so well. And... you deserved so much more than what you got..."

He then leaned down and planted a kiss on the cross, resting his head against it before turning back around. He made his way through to the mess hall, seeing that it was dark and quiet before he heard a dinner tray clanking rhythmically against a table.

"Tails, Tails, Tails, Tails," Sonic began chanting.

"What is going-"

He was cut off as more trays began to bang in the same rhythm, with more people calling his name. Tails looked for the sources of the noise, and soon the lights turned on, showing some soldiers holding up signs congratulating Tails and everyone cheering sans the fox in question.

Vector soon came down the stairs, applauding and cheering with the other soldiers as he walked up to Tails. "We know it's been rough with what happened, but we figured that you deserve a good sendoff for your work."

Tails smiled. "Thank you, for all of this. But it wasn't just me."

Vector smiled. "True. But thanks to what happened, Darius is gone, along with FATE."

"All burned to the ground," Sonic said, zipping over to them. "Seriously, dude, it was a good plan."

Tails nodded sheepishly. "I guess so..." He turned back to Vector. "How's Hooper?"

"The medics did a good job. Most of him is fixed up quite well now," the green crocodile replied.

"Could I go see him?"

"Before celebrating?" asked Vector. "We just got some pepperoni pizza to try, and some beers too."

Tails smiled. "I'll celebrate when I get back."

Vector chuckled. "He's in the main briefing room, resting and looking over the base."

Tails nodded his thanks, going over to the room in question and knocking. "Hello?"

"Come in," said Hooper, his voice sounding much clearer.

Tails came in. "Hey, man."

Hooper turned and smiled. "Good to see you again."

"You look a lot happier than the other day," said Tails. "Still got some bruises and scratches."

Hooper shrugged. "I'm not moving too much either. Still got some issues with my spine from being in that chair for so long. If I wasn't sitting down, I was laying on my back. I barely got any time to stand up."

"You were forced to be sedentary?" asked Tails.

"Pretty much, yes. But, being punched in the face a lot did keep my adrenaline up."

Tails smiled. "Considering what you've been through, I guess that you need all the levity you can get. Speaking of which, we're having a party in the hall. There's beer and pizza and possible music. I wasn't told about that part."

Hooper chuckled. "That does sound nice, but... I have been thinking."

"Thinking about what?"

"Well, I don't doubt that Darius blew up those other bases. I mean, I saw the explosions with you. But... I get the feeling that it's still not over."

Tails sat down. "How do you mean?"

Hooper gestured to the pictures on the projector. "This type of base is different from some others, which makes sense because it's the head one. It took a lot of explosives to bring it all down in one shot, so I'm thinking that maybe Darius had more explosives for the smaller buildings and people got hurt."

"What makes you say that?"

"Because it's one of the last things they told me before I was rescued by you," Hooper sighed. "I didn't really have time to tell anyone else."

"So, what are you saying?" Tails asked.

"FATE may be gone, but... it might be worth checking out the other bases that were blown up too. Just to be sure."

Tails sighed. "I'm not mad at you, but of all the pieces of news I wanted to receive today, that one really wasn't high on the list."

"I would have told you earlier, but I'm still finding my way back around this place," said Hooper. "It's been so long since I've been here, I'm used to something a lot dingier and uglier. And, man, walking is a pain."

"I guess that I had to come to you to get the truth, huh?" Tails asked.

"I guess so," Hooper said, hanging his head. "I'm really sorry about this."

"Hey, like I said, it wasn't your fault. It's just an unforeseen circumstance." Tails sighed. "This... this isn't good."

Hooper nodded. "I know. But this is just what I know..."

The yellow fox tried to put a brave face on it. "You know what? Let's not worry too badly about it."

Hooper sighed. "You're right. I'm... sorry for not telling you sooner..."

"Hey, it's just an assumption," said Tails. "We don't know that they still have other big bosses around."

"Tails!" called Sonic from outside the room. "Get on out here! This party is for you, after all!"

Tails smiled, turning to Hooper. "Care to join me?"

"Eh, you rescued me. It'd be a shame not to take part," Hooper chuckled.

The two then left the room, seeing the others enjoying the party, playing music and having some drinks too. Like last time, Tails kept his drinking to a minimum, as did Hooper, which surprised the yellow fox somewhat, but not enough to put off the enjoyment of the party.

What did, however, was Tails and Hooper knowing that they'd have to talk to Conway, who was just now coming down the stairs. He grabbed a bottle of beer for himself, raising it to Tails as a gesture of pride and joy, with Tails halfheartedly doing the same before walking over, Hooper in tow.

"Sir?" Tails asked.

"Tails, it's just Tyson," Conway smiled. "What is it?"

"Well, um... Tyson..." Tails smiled nervously. "That's still weird to me. Anyway, Hooper... has some news..."

"Good news or bad news?"

"Probably bad," Hooper said hesitantly. "During the raid on Darius' base to rescue me and Scourge, some of the people torturing me told me that there could have been other soldiers from different regimens going through what I did. Since they were smaller buildings, it's weird that they used larger explosives. We... might have to check. See if there's survivors, you know?"

"Survivors?" Conway asked. "But we won. We beat Darius."

"And we lost Scourge for going in so half-cocked," said Tails. "Based on my plan, no less."

"Our plan," Conway corrected him. "You, me, and Vector. If anything went wrong, it wasn't your fault. I watched over you, as did Vector. You were precise and meticulous. Darius was unpredictable and deranged. Nobody could have seen that coming, and Hooper was too out of it to tell anybody, and Scourge couldn't tell us because he didn't know either. It's out of our hands."

Tails sighed. "I know you're trying to placate me, and don't think that I don't appreciate it, but we need to focus. We still have to tour around a bit, right?"

"That is true," Conway said. "But we're not touring anywhere near those spots with the other army bases. That's their territory."

"We can still help," said Hooper. "There's nothing against any laws that say that we can't help."

Conway nodded. "You're right."

"R-Really?" Hooper paused.

"Yes. Why?"

"Well, given what I know about you, you'd be a bit more reluctant, usually," said Hooper. "I... I don't know. It just seems weird. I was there when you told those who betrayed you to stay to try and stop those bombs, even though you knew that they could have died."

"It's the army," said Conway. "People die. People would have died even if I didn't tell them to stay."

"Yes, fewer people would have died if you told them to leave," Hooper said. "I might have hated every fucking waking second in Darius' base, but at least with his missions, he knew when to hold them and knew when to fold them. But you? You can't do that. It's either all the way or not at all."

"Hooper..." Tails said, putting a hand on the grey cat's arm, looking to see some other soldiers turning their heads at the commotion.

"And if it's not all the way in, then it's not good at all. If you don't go all in, it feels like a waste," said Hooper. "Is that why you're agreeing with me just now? Was the real reason that you sacrificed so many of your men and women just to take down your brother?"

"It wasn't just my brother!" said Conway. "It was FATE! It always was! You might have been through hell in that prison cell, but you don't know all of my stories! I had so many chances where I pulled soldiers out when it got too dangerous, and they were still killed! I had shot after shot at that building, and when I got the manpower to do it, then you bet your ass that I'd hold them there for as long as I could as long as it meant beating the enemy!" Conway sighed. "Casualties happen all the time in war, Hooper."

"I know. I was one for months in a prison, getting tortured, beaten, and abused," said Hooper. "So don't tell me how bad a casualty can be when you've sent so many people to their graves already."

Hooper then brushed past Conway angrily, keeping his drink with him as he sat down at a table. Tails sighed. "I'm... sorry..."

"Do you agree?" Conway asked.

Tails nodded. "Honestly? Yes. We need to check those places out, and you know that. Hooper's right, and you know that too."

Conway sighed. "We're going to upset a lot of people during this last tour," he said. "You're supposed to be going back home soon. You have a girl and a baby on the way waiting there for you."

Tails smiled. "I know she'd understand. But she's not the type to really be mad."

The colonel smiled. "You really do have a good one, huh?"

"You don't know the half of it," Tails chuckled.

Conway smiled again, putting a hand on Tails' shoulder. "Well, regardless of what happened at FATE... I'm proud of you. I'm proud of everyone. So, how about we enjoy the rest of this party, and then Vector will set up a laptop for you to talk to Cream?"

"I'd... I'd like that."

Conway nodded. "Look... I'm sorry for all of this. But, if you want, we can check it all over again, just to be safe."

"That is what I want," Tails nodded. "We have to. I... I want to keep helping people."

"Ah, let's not mope any more," Conway smiled. "Let us party, soldier! And that's an order!"

Tails saluted playfully. "Sir, yes, sir!"

So, they all turned to leave, enjoying the rest of their party. They kept their drinking to a minimum, and even in the midst of their party, Sonic left to get some fresh air. As he did, Tails followed him, also needing the air as well, and the two went to Scourge's grave.

"It's amazing what he went through for us," Sonic said. "I can't believe how much we were all risking... how much he and Hooper were risking..."

Tails nodded. "Yeah. Having this party almost doesn't feel like it's for me. It's for him."

"I guess, that way, it doesn't feel like our fault that he's dead, huh?" Sonic asked.

Tails chuckled a little bit. "Yeah... I guess..."

Sonic tipped his bottle to the side for Scourge, and Tails did the same before they both clinked their bottles together, finishing their drinks. They stood in silence around the grave for a few more moments before the blue hedgehog broke the silence.

"How long do you think the tour will take?"

"Probably a couple of months," said Tails. "A lot of those bases are really far away. Depending on what comes next, it could take longer."

Sonic nodded. "We'll all tour together, right?"

"I mean, we'll probably be in some different groups to help, but our regimen will stay close. Why?"

Sonic smiled. "Because there's no way that I'm going on that tour without you watching my back."

Tails chuckled. "Yeah, because you'd be totally lost without me."

"Honestly, I would," Sonic said. "You shot that guy in the arm to save me. That takes some precision."

"It was... kind of the heat of the moment," Tails said. "I got lucky."

"You got lucky? You hit the only part you could have. If you aimed for the head, you could have hit that too," Sonic said. "But, then again, you could have shot me in the head as well, and I wouldn't have appreciated that."

Tails shrugged. "Eh, you'd be dead. At least I wouldn't have to deal with your cocky attitude any more."

"I... can't even disagree," Sonic chuckled.

"But, you seriously mean it?" Tails said. "You'll only tour if you're with me?"

"Yep," Sonic nodded. "Lord knows that I'm not going into more danger without my best friend by my side."

The yellow fox smiled, hugging Sonic's side. Sonic paused for a moment, but turned to hug back, returning the friendly gesture. After a few more moments, they broke from it, neither feeling awkward about the situation, which surprised them both.

"So, um..." Tails smiled. "I'm your best friend?"

Sonic nodded. "Yeah. And, hey, we've got to stick together. So, from now on, wherever you go, I'm going there too."

"I'll do the same for you," Tails said.

"No problem, little bro," Sonic smirked.

"Little bro... I kinda like that," Tails said.

Sonic smiled. "Want to go back inside?"

"Yeah, I guess," Tails said. "I mean, my lady awaits."

Sonic nodded, and the two turned to go back inside the building. They heard the last of the party start to fizzle out, as food was being eaten less, drinking was less frequent, and even the music wasn't there any more, with everything that was set up being packed away.

Tails and Sonic helped with it, and also helped with the cleaning up of everything else, resetting the mess hall to look like its normal self again. Any signs were put away as well, and even the soldiers had left as well, going back to their routines of training, resting, and so on.

"All right, that was quite the party," said Vector. "But it wouldn't feel right without giving you this."

Tails saw the laptop in Vector's hands. "This is going to be pretty bad..."

"I am sure that she will understand," Vector said. "Oh, and give Vanilla a hello from me if she's there?"

Tails chuckled. "She probably will be. Why not stay and talk to her yourself?"

"I can't," Vector shrugged. "I've got to help arrange the groups for the tour. We're going to try and mix it up, so I need to talk with Conway and the other commanding officers."

"Oh, okay," Tails said. "Take care."

"You too. And behave yourself on there," Vector winked.

Tails playfully swatted Vector away before turning to the laptop, opening it up and seeing the call icon flashing. He clicked it, smiling as he indeed saw Cream there. She looked cute in her yellow maternity shirt. Of course, Tails thought that Cream looked beautiful no matter what.

"Hey there, honey," Tails said.

"There he is! The man of the hour!" Vanilla said, appearing distantly behind Cream.

"Hey, Vanilla!" Tails waved.

Cream giggled. "Mum's busy trying to get some orders in."

"Seems like business is going well over there," Tails said, seeing a few customers at the front, getting their pastries.

"Yeah," Cream nodded. "So... it went well, I take it?"

"What gave it away?"

"The fact that we're even talking," Cream said. "When I didn't hear from you at first, I was... terrified..."

Tails sighed, nodding. "I know, honey."

"And I feared the worst when I heard about the explosions on military bases!" Cream added. "The news reported it because of how much destruction it caused!"

"How bad was it?" Tails asked. "I was sort of facing the opposite way, and what I did see looked too far off to tell."

"Oh, it was horrible! Innocent people in those areas got hurt hard!" Cream sighed.

"Just calm down," Tails said. "I'm still here, okay? I'm fine, so is everyone else."

"I know..." Cream said. "I'm sorry... I just worry a lot..."

Tails smiled. "It's fine. I promise. Everything's all right."

"I know. I trust you." Cream calmed herself down. "So, um... how are you?"

Tails smiled wider at the question. "I'm okay. A little dinged up from what happened, as we all are over here, but I'm fine. Even had a big celebration party. The only thing really missing that would have made it perfect was you."

"Aw..." Cream blushed. "I miss you too."

"And how about yourself? How are you?"

"I'm not too bad. And I'm worrying a lot less now."

Tails nodded. "That's good to hear. But... I do have some news."

"Oh..." Cream said. "Is it... is it good news?"

"It could be," Tails said. "So... um... the person we raided Darius' base to rescue told us something earlier..."

"What was it?"

"So, before we saved him, he said that when Darius blew up all the FATE buildings, the explosives count was too high," Tails said. "There might be survivors from other regimens of ours, and we're having a finishing tour anyway while we're here, so we're going to go around and check out those places. It could take a lot longer. Months, probably..."

Cream nodded, a tear escaping her eye. "And... you'll be okay?"

Tails nodded. "It was my plan that saved Hooper. And saved almost everyone..." Tails wiped away a tear of his own. "But we'll be okay. I'm... I'm really sorry about this."

Cream put on a smile that didn't feel forced. "I understand."

"You do?"

Cream giggled. "Yes. You have to go and save people. That is why you signed up in the first place, right?"

Tails smiled. "I guess that you're right. Man... my future wife is a very smart woman."

"And my future husband is a very brave man," Cream retorted, smirking. "But you have to promise me that you'll be fine, yes?"

"Yeah," Tails nodded. "I promise."

The cream and orange rabbit nodded. "I know. But... I'm still going to worry."

Tails palmed his face. "I just remembered something..."

"What is it?"

"If I'm touring, I won't be staying in one place too long. Writing letters to each other will probably slow down, as will communicating in general," Tails said. "Oh, I'm an idiot for not thinking of that at first..."

"No, you're not," Cream said. "Tails, you don't have a choice. You have to complete your tour. You have to do your duty to save people. And when you have toured, saved people, and completed your service, you can come back home to me."

The yellow fox couldn't hide the grin on his face, swearing that it could touch his ears. "How did I wind up with a woman like you?"

Cream blushed. "By being a good man. And that's what you're going to do when you tour. You'll be a good man."

"Can I be?" Tails said. "You read what I did in the letters. I shot someone."

"In the arm," Cream said. "But... well, I'm no fool. I'm not naive. If you have to take a life, then... you might not have a choice."

Tails nodded. "I know... but I still won't like it..."

"I don't think that you're supposed to like it," Cream shrugged sadly.

"Later, Cream!"

"Oh, later!" Cream waved as a customer walked past her.

Tails chuckled. "I really can't wait to get back home to you."

"I can't wait for you to get back home. And not just to me." Cream moved the camera down to show her belly, and she touched it, gasping. "Ooh! Another kick!"

"Do they really hurt?" Tails asked.

"Yeah, but... it's a good hurt... like, it'll all be worth it in the end, you know?"

Tails nodded. "I know. And hopefully it'll be like that for us over here."

"It will be if you all work your best," Cream nodded. "Considering your track record, I have faith that you can do it."

Tails smiled. "I'll give it my best shot. I promise."

"You'd better," Cream said. "Well... I guess that this is goodbye for a little while..."

"Yeah... I guess..." Tails said. "I love you. So, so much. Us and our little daughter."

"We still need a name," Cream giggled.

"We'll decide when I get back," Tails smiled. "I promise. As soon as I'm back, all we'll do is talk about the baby. And love her, care for her, and spoil her rotten."

Cream laughed. "Yep. We're going to be amazing parents."

"I don't doubt that," Tails said. "Bye. I love you."

"I love you too."

The two then stopped the video call, and Tails closed down the laptop, hearing Vector calling behind him. "Tails! Training time!"

Tails smiled. "On my way!"

* * *

 **Aw, another little chapter for you people. I hope that you liked it, and it was another fun one to write. As I said, this'll be my second to last chapter of this for the year before I start working on that Christmas present for you people. I'll see you in the next chapter of Foxhunt, then this, then Christmas. That's the idea. Anyway, see you then. Take care, and stay tuned.**


	13. One Last Look Around

A few months had passed since the revelation that the 44th Chimera Regimen would have to go around all the FATE bases. Communications between Tails and Cream had been limited, with no chance to video chat and letters barely making it to each other. Cream would have gotten them, but she didn't write back unless Tails had written for her, which he hadn't been able to do for a while.

At the moment, Tails and his fellow soldiers were just entering one of the last bases that they had to check out, with the last three afterwards to come soon. They all rooted around inside for anything that they could find, which wasn't easy since pretty much everything was burned to a crisp.

"Man... this place was always a mess..." Vector said. "I know that I've said this for each base so far, but... your brother was one crazy bastard."

"I know," Conway said. "He never did do things by halves. I guess that it's a family trait."

"Oh, I didn't mean to imply anything..."

"It's fine," Conway said. "As long as he's gone, we don't have to worry any more. And you can't really get as gone as a carcass charred to pieces."

"No, I guess not," Vector shrugged.

Tails and Sonic were hanging back a bit, having their own conversation. "So... almost done," Sonic said.

"Yep," Tails nodded. "Almost done."

"Only a few more bases left and then about a week of downtime before we get to go home," Sonic added on. "And you might get to see both of your girls."

Tails chuckled. "I think that we have a few months left when I get back for that yet."

"I dunno," Sonic smiled. "Something tells me that you're going to be covered in adorableness when you get home to your lady. As am I."

"I hope Amy's okay too," Tails said. "I'd really like to meet her one day."

"You will," Sonic said. "I tell her about you sometimes, and she's actually pretty happy about you and Cream having a baby, even though she's never met either of you."

"I don't know if I feel flattered or crept out in a nice way," Tails said.

"Isn't flattery just the same as being crept out in a nice way?"

"Eh, you're not wrong," Tails shrugged.

"All right, group one, you're with me," Vector said. "Group two, stay on guard by the vehicles. Group three is with Conway. And group four, stay close to Tails. Wherever he goes, you follow."

"Me?" Tails asked.

"Hey, it's your plan," Vector said. "You hold some stakes in it, at least."

Tails nodded, turning to Sonic. "You heard him. You work for me now."

"Oh, the horror," the blue hedgehog chuckled.

They all went their separate ways, checking out different parts of the base. This one was possibly the smallest base that they'd entered yet, with no sign of a training ground, very small barracks, and what was left of the main building only seemed to have a ground floor, not even making up for it by being wider set.

"Man..." Sonic said. "Why'd a little place like this have to go too? Seems kinda harmless."

"It is a weird one," Tails admitted. "Even before that part was blown up, it looked that small anyway. There's probably a lot of dead bodies in one space there."

"Well, that's going to smell like shit," Sonic said. "What's the plan?"

"Well, let's see..." Tails looked around at the others. "Vector's group is at the barracks, and Conway's is checking out the left side... and the man himself is waving a hand at me..."

"Better go see what he wants before you get in trouble," Sonic smirked.

Tails rushed over, with his group following behind him. "Sir?"

"What is it?" asked Vector, also coming over.

Conway pulled up a manilla folder, which was yellow in a former life before the explosion burned parts of it into a mangy mixture of brown and orange. He stood up from where he was and held the file up into the air.

"This," he began, "was one of my brother's personal folders. He rarely gave these out at all unless he absolutely trusted somebody."

"Who's the name on the folder?" Tails asked.

Conway opened it, reading the name. "One Kyle Mockton. He was the owner of this base, and he died with it."

"Is there anything else on there?" Hooper asked, piping in.

"I thought you were supposed to be staying by the vehicles," Vector said.

"He's part of my group," Tails said. "And I say he's allowed to speak."

"Thank you," Hooper said. "So, what else does it say on there?"

Conway cleared his throat. "There's... just some names of other soldiers from here. The base number, the usage of explosives, and..." He turned the page. "Oh, wow..."

"Oh, what?" Vector asked.

"This was the main base where a lot of those underground soldiers came from," said Conway. "And... this was the only base where they had them underground." He showed some blueprints, handing them over to Tails.

The yellow fox looked them over, nodding. "He's right. There was one long, winding tunnel from here to Darius' base. It didn't pass through any other FATE base to get over to there. And it looks like it was done on purpose..."

"But I don't get it," Sonic said. "If Darius had all of these bases to begin with, why not put little secret passages in each one? Why this one?"

Vector shrugged, turning around to see a shape moving about. "Because we're not the only people here."

"Over by the barracks," said Tails. "We'll flank them."

"We'll take the left," said Conway. "You take the right, and Vector takes the centre."

The others nodded, all going individually and not taking their groups with them. As they all got closer, they heard more panicked scrambling, and soon saw a lump of something flying over the tent of the barracks, landing near them.

"Grenade!" Tails shouted.

All men dove away, before Conway looked up, seeing the pin still in the grenade. "It's not active! It's a dud!" He looked up to see the figure running. "He's getting away!"

"I've got him!" Sonic called. He used a bit of his speed to chase the man down, jumping to catch him, holding him down into the ground. Said man was wearing a mask to hide his face, and he looked up at Sonic.

"Get off me, traitor!" the man said.

"Traitor?" Sonic asked. "You're the ass-hole who sided with FATE! The only traitor here is you!"

"Wait!" said Conway, walking over. "Show yourself!"

Sonic seemed confused, so he got up off of the man, who then stood up and took off his mask, revealing a grizzled old man with long hair and a full beard, both black. His clothes looked torn, almost melted, and the left side of his body seemed damaged, with blood dripping from his hand.

"Mockton?" Vector asked.

"What happened?" Conway added.

"The explosion," the man said. "And I'm not Mockton." He pointed to a burnt out body. "That was Mockton. He died making sure that his soldiers got down below in the bunker when Darius set off all of those explosions."

"Then what is your name?" Tails asked.

"It doesn't matter," the man said. "If you're going to kill me, then my name's the last important thing about me. I mean, I worked for the bad guy, right? So, go ahead." He spread his arms and knelt down, looking up at them. "Shoot me. Right here." He pointed between his eyes.

"No," said Conway.

"Why not?" asked the man. "You can't have questions for me, because that piece of paper of yours already answered them."

"You read this?" asked Vector.

"Our boss shared it with us when he got it. We all got to work on digging the tunnel to Darius' base, as well as the other entrances. He was very careful with his planning, as he didn't want us to cut through anyone else. And before you ask why this one... well, look at this place. It's so small, the smallest of our bases, and it's the last place where anyone would look."

"You helped the soldiers through?" asked Conway.

"Yes, I did," the bearded man nodded. "And I watched the explosions from a different location. I'm no traitor, but I am a coward."

"You're still both to me," Sonic said.

Tails put an arm in front of Sonic. "Dude..."

Conway walked up to the man. "What is your name?"

"Sir?"

"Your name."

"Oh, my nam-"

Conway pulled the trigger, firing a bullet through the man's skull. Blood and brain matter fell through a hole in the back of his head, and he fell forward, his own blood forming a pool under his head, his eyes still wide open as his head faced the side, looking at Tails.

The yellow fox went over, and he shut the man's eyes. "At least... I got to do that for someone..." He then blinked back some tears as he looked up at Conway. "Sir... permission to stop searching the FATE bases."

"What?" Conway asked.

"Permission to stop searching the enemy bases, sir."

"No, I heard you the first time," said Conway. "The answer is no."

Tails pointed at the dead body. "That is your answer. A bullet to my head. I wonder, if I decide to take my group and leave right now, would you shoot me in the back of the head? Or would you shoot me now and cut me off from speaking?"

"Tails..." Sonic tried.

"No, this needs to be said," Tails spoke. "The more that I thought about Scourge's death being because of me or Hooper's prolonged torture being because of me, the more that I realised that it wasn't just me. In fact, I've done my best to make everything as good as it can be. To make sure that we had as few casualties on both sides as possible. But it turns out that my plan was the only good one."

"Watch your words, soldier," Conway warned.

"I'm sick of watching my words around you," said Tails. "See, I don't get it. You've sent so many soldiers lives away. Just picked them up and used them, and not even tried to get them back when they switched sides. I wonder, when they've died, do you even call their families? Friends? Or are you too self-absorbed in your game against your brother and trying to one up him at each turn?"

"I don't care if he was my family," Conway said. "What he did was bad. He killed a group of his own men just to try and win."

"And they knew about it!" Tails said. "But all of your men? All of those that switched sides? Did they know? Did it ever cross your mind that you might have sent them to their graves at every possible turn?"

"It did," Conway said. "Lives get lost, and-"

"And what?" Tails said. "Blood gets spilled? People die? People kill themselves afterwards to help with the pain? People who are lucky enough to go home try and drink it away? Which bullshit idiom are you going to hit me with just to stop me from talking? Because I'm not done until I'm done." Tails pointed back at the dead man. "We don't need to search any more. We won the war. Every one of them is dead. Your brother is dead. Is that not enough for you?" Tails sighed. "These men and women... they had families. Even if they never had them back home, they had each other, just the same as we do. How many more have to die for you to see that?"

Conway nodded. "You're right. But... we need to keep moving. We only have a few more bases to go. After that, we'll all go home. I promise."

"I know that I'm right, but you didn't answer my question," Tails said.

Conway grunted. "After him... no more. If, by chance, we do find other soldiers, we won't kill them." He sighed. "It pains me to admit it, but maybe I could give them another second chance. Maybe one that doesn't backfire on me this time."

"The second chance isn't to help them, is it?" Tails smiled. "It's to help you."

"Yeah..." The colonel smiled. "I guess that it is..." He then cleared his throat. "All right, I want one last scan of the area, then we're packing up and moving on."

The others gave noises of agreement, searching around in their respective groups to try and find anything else that they could. After their look around, they decided to reconvene to their convoy of vehicles, hopping back into them and starting the drive to the next base.

"You okay?" Sonic asked.

Tails looked up and nodded. "Yeah. I... I've never really gone off like that before."

"I can tell," Sonic said. "It's something that everyone here picks up on at some point. And here I thought that seeing Amy arguing with that sleaze-bag director would be the biggest one-sided shouting match that I'd see."

Tails chuckled. "Glad that I could outdo that for you."

"Nah... Amy still wins," Sonic smirked.

Tails shook his head, smiling.

* * *

 **Meanwhile, back with Cream...**

The young rabbit was seven months into her pregnancy, slowly walking about her house with Blaze over there to help her around. Since it wasn't lunchtime yet, they hadn't eaten a lot, with Cream missing breakfast due to her slow movements. Said rabbit was currently laid back on her couch, with her feet resting up on a pillow as Blaze massaged them.

"Thank you for the help," Cream said. "I really appreciate it."

"Hey, anything for my bestie," Blaze smiled. "All right... you feeling any better?"

Cream nodded, reaching her hands up for Blaze, who helped her sit up again. "Ooh... that's always a hassle. I never thought that sitting down would feel like such a curse."

Blaze giggled at that. "How's your mother?"

"She's busy with the shop, but she still helps when she can. I mean, she was pregnant once."

"And we got a beautiful child out of it," Blaze smiled. "Just like there'll be one coming out of you soon."

"C-Could you stop talking about mine and my mother's vaginas?" Cream laughed a bit. "We know who came out of them. It probably wasn't pretty."

"Well, you know what will be pretty?" Blaze asked. "Your baby shower! Come on, you have to have one!"

Cream sighed. "You're already going to be the godmother to my child. Now you want to shower my baby? With gifts?" She giggled. "Go ahead."

"Eh, I may as well do what I can," Blaze smiled. "I might not be able to see you much more soon. Me and Silver have a really good looking place in the city."

"Well, it's no problem," Cream smiled back. "We'll come over and visit you, and you'll do the same for us, yeah?"

"Yeah, but who'll help you around the house?" asked Blaze. "I mean, I'm not saying that you're not capable of getting around, but at your current state, you do need a hand. With me in the city and your mother being busy, who is there?"

Cream snapped her fingers and smiled. "I know just the people. I'm hoping to bump into them when I go to the doctor's later."

"Seriously, why do you need to go?" Blaze giggled. "You have a baby in you. It's kind of hard to miss."

"Are you saying that I'm fat?"

"No, I was not so subtly implying it," the purple cat winked. "Besides, it doesn't matter when you're still adorable."

Cream smiled, patting her belly and feeling a kick. "Hehe... I wonder where she's getting this fighting side from."

Blaze reached for Cream's hand. "You don't have to actually fight to be a fighter. Right now, Tails is fighting for you. For both of you. Much like, every day, Silver fights for me, and for the people of Mobi City."

"It still makes it sound like a strange phone company," Cream giggled.

"It kind of does," Blaze agreed with a nod and a giggle of her own. "All right, let's get you some food before we go to see Callahan. Want to head to your mum's place?"

Cream nodded. "That'd be nice." They both stood, and she smiled. "Once again, thank you for all of your help."

"Not a problem," Blaze smiled. "Now, get your clothes on, chubby."

"And just when I was starting to like you," Cream winked.

The two shared some more laughs at that before getting their shoes on, with Blaze helping Cream to her car. The purple cat started driving, knowing where Vanilla's cafe was off by heart at this stage, and within very little time, they'd found a place to park and entered the building.

"Welcome to Vanilla's Sweet Treats! Whatever the treat, we've got it to eat!" Vanilla said as she saw them enter.

"Huh... that's a pretty catchy tagline," said Blaze.

"Eh, it gives me something fun to say on the phone when people make reservations," Vanilla smiled. "And how is my beautiful girl today?"

"Not bad," Blaze giggled. "Yourself?"

Cream gave her friend a playful grin before turning to her mother. "I'm not too bad. Having Blaze help me is pretty useful."

"Well, that's good to hear, but isn't she going soon?"

"Yep, but don't worry," Cream said. "I've found a way to work around it."

"Ooh, very good to hear," Vanilla smiled as her daughter and Blaze reached the counter. "So, what brings you here?"

"What, I can't see my mother for the sake of wanting to see her?"

"Not when there's freshly baked blueberry muffins that smell amazing."

Cream giggled. "I guess you have a point. I don't suppose that I could have some?"

Vanilla giggled. "I knew it. What about you, Blaze?"

"I'll take some ginger cookies," the purple cat said. "They're my favourites. Silver even learned from you to bake them. He didn't do too bad of a job, I will say."

"Glad that I could help," Vanilla smiled. "And drinks?"

"Decaf tea for me," said Cream.

"Coffee with extra your daughter," Blaze said with a wink.

"Good one. Haven't heard that too many times."

Blaze smiled, and the two walked over to a booth where they'd side, where Blaze helped Cream onto a seat before going back up to the counter, waiting for the food. She didn't have to wait much longer, and soon it was all done, and she took it back to her table with Cream, handing her her muffins.

"Enjoy your grub," Blaze said. "I know I will. Love me some ginger cookies."

"Maybe it's the cat in you," Cream smiled.

"And maybe your love of muffins is the rabbit in you, by which I mean both you and the rabbit that is literally in you," Blaze chuckled.

"Or maybe it's because of how sweet I am," Cream said.

"Hmm... yeah, I'll give you a pass on that one, I guess..." Blaze shrugged.

Cream smiled. "Shut up and eat your cookies."

The two laughed and continued their small talk over their food, making sure to finish them as well as their drinks. When they were all done, Blaze put the rubbish away while Vanilla came over to help Cream up from her seat.

"Thanks, mum..." Cream said.

"It's never a problem," smiled Vanilla. "So, how's Tails?"

Cream sighed. "I haven't been able to hear much from him in a while. The new mission has taken him away from me..."

"Well, before you worry, I think that it's a safe bet that he's still alive."

"How do you mean?"

"I've had some friends talk about their children or significant others in the fight too, and they got letters from them in the past week or so, but like with Tails, communication hasn't been nearly frequent enough." Vanilla hugged her daughter. "He'll be fine. And you will be too. I know it."

Cream nodded. "I will. Thanks, mum." She leaned up and hugged her mother more, kissing her cheek.

"No problem. Now, get going and go see that nice doctor again, okay?"

Cream nodded. "Okay."

Blaze smiled. "You heard your mother! Let's get going!"

Cream giggled, and walked with Blaze back to her car. She was helped into her seat again before Blaze hopped into the driver's seat, starting the car back up and beginning the drive to the hospital, arriving and parking with quite some time to spare.

The two entered and got Cream signed in before sitting down. "Ah... nice and quiet," said Cream.

"Hey, it's never really super busy in here," Blaze said. "So, what's your plan for having someone to help you around the house when me and Silver are fully moved in to the city?"

"Oh, you'll meet them soon," Cream smiled. She looked up at the clock, and soon, one of the side doors opened up, with a familiar happy family walking over with a pushchair being pushed by the mother. "And there they are!"

"Cream!" said Tarin. "My my, are you stalking us, by any chance?"

"Not on purpose," said Cream.

Wade smiled and walked over to hug the rabbit, as did Tarin soon after. "I'll try and be careful. Looks like you've come along quite well."

"Yeah... at this point in pregnancy, it's kind of easy to tell that I've got a baby brewing," Cream chided.

"Um... hi," Blaze said awkwardly.

"Oh, sorry!" Cream said. "Tarin, Wade, this is my friend Blaze. Blaze, this is Tarin, Wade, and Jaime-May, their daughter."

Blaze looked at the pushchair. "May I take a look?"

"Of course," Tarin smiled, turning the pram around.

Blaze peered into it, and see Jaime-May's eyes fluttering as she slept, cuddling a toy close to her. "Aw... she's adorable..."

"It took us a while to get her to sleep," said Wade. "But it was worth it."

"Yeah, she's a very excitable and bouncy baby, but she sleeps a lot too," said Tarin.

Blaze smiled, and looked up as the light went off for Cream. "Ooh. Looks like that's your cue."

"Help me up," Cream said.

"We'll see you," Wade said.

"Actually, could you wait until I'm done?" asked Cream. "I have something to discuss with you when I get back out."

"Oh, sure," Tarin said. "You be careful."

"It's Callahan. I'll be fine," the rabbit smiled.

She made her way through the corridor, taking a few stops to catch her breath before finding Callahan's office. She knocked on the door, which opened up a bit on its own, and Cream decided to step in anyway, looking around.

"Callahan?"

"Behind the door!" Callahan said. "Don't open it any wider, or you'll be knocking me into some equipment! Just bare with me!"

"Okay!" Cream shut the door and stayed outside, knowing that she couldn't get in at the moment.

After a few more moments, Callahan finished what she was doing, opening the door with a panting look. "Sorry about that."

"What happened?" Cream asked, walking in.

"Not long after scanning Tarin, the machine overheated because of the freaking weather. I had to reset it to try and cool it off, which can be counterproductive sometimes when you scan pregnant ladies' stomachs for a living."

"Oh..." Cream said.

"Yeah," the nurse nodded. "But it's done. Want to hop on the table?"

"I'm a little bit too fat to hop," Cream giggled.

Callahan smiled, reaching her hand out. She lowered the bed for Cream to get on, lifting her on to it before raising the bed back up. She then went and got the gel and machines ready, the routine passing by without a hitch.

"You're really good at that," said Cream.

"Eh, when it's your job, it gets easier," Callahan shrugged. "So, I should have asked sooner, but are things still okay with the baby?"

"Yeah, they are," Cream nodded. "She's still kicking, and she's reacting more positively to sounds. I played those ocean sounds you recommended to soothe her, since I felt her getting restless, and she calmed right down."

Callahan smiled. "Any recent worries or stress?"

"Well... not much besides Tails needing more time with his squadron," Cream said. "I told you about it, right?"

Callahan nodded. "It sucks. But it happens sometimes. Part of winning a war is making absolutely sure that all of the bad guys are done for. Then again, with all the massive explosions, it's kind of hard for anyone to have survived."

"But he has a job to do..." Cream said. "I know."

"Well, good," Callahan smiled. "This'll make this a lot easier. Now, just relax for me... and I'll start."

Cream nodded, lifting her maternity shirt up and taking a deep breath to relax. Callahan put the gel on the rabbit's stomach, soon adding the scanner and rubbing it around. As she did, she felt a heartbeat, and it reverberated in the ultrasound picture.

"Oh, wow," said the nurse. "She's... got a good heartbeat. Someone's happy."

"Well... we did have blueberry muffins before coming here."

"Ah, that'll do it," Callahan smiled, still scanning. "All right... you're all done. Now, let's go through the usual of printing the picture and so on."

"I'd like that," Cream smiled back.

Callahan nodded, clearing her throat as she helped Cream down from the table. She went to get the computer set up, printing two copies of the picture like always. Soon, both copies were done, and she brought them over to Cream.

"And there you go! All good."

"Thank you so much for all of your help," Cream smiled.

"Want me to walk you back out there?"

"Yes, please."

Callahan smiled, helping Cream back out to the main sitting area. "Okay, there you go. Same time next month?"

"I'm hoping so," Cream smiled.

"Eh, I don't see why not," Callahan winked. "Take care now."

Cream nodded, going to sit back down with the others and stopping when she saw Blaze hugging Jaime-May. The little puppy snuggled the purple cat, even licking her cheeks and chin cutely and reaching her tiny arms up for hugs.

"She really likes her," Cream smiled.

"Bwaze... pwetty..." said Jaime-May.

"The child has taste," Blaze smirked.

Tarin giggled, turning to Cream. "Did it go well?"

"Always does," Cream said.

"So... what did you want to talk with us about?" Wade asked.

"Oh, well... Blaze has been helping me around the house, but soon she's moving in to the big city with her boyfriend," Cream said. "I was wondering, since you guys will still be living here... would you help me around? It's just until Tails gets back, or until the baby comes out of me. Whichever comes first."

Tarin smiled, turning to Wade. "What do you think, honey?"

Wade smiled. "Heck, I get my delivery job done early in the morning. It'll be no sweat." He turned to face Cream. "We're more than happy to help."

Cream smiled, moving over as best as she could to hug them. "Thank you both... it really means a lot..."

Blaze giggled, handing Jaime-May over to Cream. "You hug her too!"

"Bunn!" said Jaime-May, hugging Cream.

"Aw... so cute..." Cream said. She snuggled the little baby a bit more. "Soon, you'll have a little cousin that looks like me!"

Jaime-May stroked Cream's cheek. "Cewt bunn!"

Cream smiled, kissing the puppy's cheeks before handing her back to Wade and Tarin. "Well, I should go home."

"Us too," said Wade. "And remember, you have our numbers, so any help that you need, don't hesitate, okay?"

"But also try not to send our phone bill through the roof within the first week," said Tarin, giving her husband a pointed look.

"Hey, I just wanted to make sure she was okay. And that some of my applications went through. It worked. Don't judge me."

They all shared some laughter before getting sorted out and leaving the building. They waved to each other before getting into their respective vehicles, driving off their separate ways, and soon Cream had arrived home, being helped out by Blaze again.

"All right, we're home," the purple cat said. "What should we do now?"

"I... just want some sleep," Cream said.

"Then I'll help you," Blaze smiled.

She helped Cream down onto her couch, laying her down and putting the some pillows under her head before grabbing some blankets to put over her. Cream grabbed her phone and plugged in her earphones, closing her eyes and listening to relaxing sounds as Blaze tucked her in.

"Have a good rest," she said. She kissed Cream's cheek, then her belly, causing the rabbit to giggle. "And you too, little monster."

"Mmm... thank you, Blaze..."

"Any time."

And with that, Cream soon drifted off to sleep, waiting for the day that Tails would return.

* * *

 **Now, isn't that just a lovely little thing? I mean, the second half, not the first half. But yes, as I said before, this'll be my last chapter of this for the year. I can now move on to some other stuff I was putting off, then get back to both this and Foxhunt sometime next year. As always, I hope that you enjoyed it, and I'll see you all soon. Take care, and stay tuned.**


	14. A Hero Comes Home

Tails sighed, looking over his files and documents one last time. It had been about a couple of weeks since they finished checking off all the bases that were owned by Darius. He still thought about what happened, about the people who died, and the people they lost too. He saw them appear in the files, and he looked around to notice that the others were all busy talking with each other about how happy they were to go home.

"Hmm..." Tails grunted to himself. "Okay... let's see if this works..."

He managed to slip away from the others, leaving his documents behind. He headed over around the back of the main building, coming over to Scourge's grave again. He knelt down, resting a hand against it and rubbing his head with the other hand before sitting next to it.

"You know... we... we won," Tails said. "I... I said that we would. I promised that we would after what you did to help us. And we did. My genius plan that got you killed eventually led to us winning the war. My plan that... that wasn't supposed to get any of us killed." He sniffed a bit. "But isn't that the thing about best laid plans? They rarely come to fruition, right? Doesn't matter what strategies I devise, what escape routes I see, what weaknesses I spot, there's always something that gets in the way." He cleared his throat. "But we found the source of those soldiers. We found the base where they were all coming from during our raid. And then... someone who didn't have to die was killed. By Conway." Tails paused, rubbing his eyes as he propped his arms over his knees. "You see, that made me realise that... that it wasn't just my fault, you know? It made me think that maybe my plan was the only one that was going to get us all out alive. We didn't exactly suffer a Pyrrhic victory, but... something about how we won isn't right... and I'm the one that had the most say in it."

"Wanted to give him one last goodbye, huh?" Hooper asked, approaching the grave and sitting next to Tails.

The yellow fox looked Hooper up and down. "You're looking way better, dude."

"Feeling a little bit better," Hooper shrugged. "I mean, I get to go back to my family with my face almost back to perfection. What's not to love?" he smirked.

Tails chuckled. "You... you did good, man. Scourge did too."

"Yeah, he did," the grey cat agreed. "It's weird to say that about someone who spent such a long time hitting me in the face a lot, but... he did what he had to do." He then put a hand on Tails' shoulder. "And so did you."

Tails smiled. "You... you don't think this was all in vain, right? You think our victory means something?"

"We stopped a very dangerous terrorist group, all thanks to your plan," said Hooper. "Despite the bad shit that followed... I think that our victory was worth the wait. And what happened was out of your control. Hell, it was out of Conway's too."

Tails chuckled darkly. "Yeah... it's amazing what can get out of your control if you just let it be."

Hooper gritted his teeth. "I still stand by what I said about Conway. I agree with you, and I'm pretty sure that Sonic does too. What Conway did, sending that many people to die just to get a tiny victory over Darius... I can't stand for that. And I won't."

"Neither will I," Tails said. "But we can't dwell on what he did, okay? And we shouldn't. The main thing that we can do when we've all gone back home is live our lives and try to set a good example for others."

Hooper nodded. "You know... there's probably some soldier programs and charities out there too. We could reach out to them to see if anyone needs help."

Tails smiled. "That's a good idea, man."

"Yeah, well, considering how badly busted up I was until recently, any idea seems like a good idea," Hooper laughed.

Tails laughed too. "Hehe... yeah." He looked over at the grave again. "Man... it's probably been heartbreaking for his family..."

Hooper's eyes widened. "Oh, right, that reminds me." He reached for his pocket and handed a letter over. "It's for you. And it's not from Cream, oddly."

Tails opened it up and began reading it. "Dear Tails, this is Fiona. I just wanted to thank you for all that you did to help my Scourge when he was out there fighting. I know that his own job was difficult, and I know that he took no pleasure in what he did. I didn't get much back from him, but it was easy to read through what little I did get. I... I wanted to thank you for helping him, even in his final moments. Thanks to Conway, I know that he fought to the end, and I want to remember him not as a hero of war, but as a hero to myself. As a good person. And I want to thank another good person in you for doing what you did. So, again, thank you. Regards, Fiona."

"Oh... wow..." Hooper said. "Conway... he was updating her..."

Tails sighed. "He... wow..." He sniffled. "I wasn't expecting that." He wiped his nose. "So, was this card meant for Conway?"

"Nope," Hooper said. "It's got your name on it. At first I thought it was that Cream girl that you've brought up before, so I thought that it was important."

"Do I have other letters?" Tails asked.

"No, that's it," said Hooper. "I guess that because we're finally all going home, she wanted to save her next words for when you come back, huh?"

Tails smiled. "Yeah... I guess so. She was always good at making me wait, but it usually turns to the best things."

"And what things are you expecting when you get back?" asked Hooper.

"A heavily pregnant fiancee, mostly," Tails said. "But still my radiant, adorable little bunny girl. And wife to be."

"Future wife, huh?" Hooper said. "Don't supposed I could be at the wedding."

"Oh, sure," Tails smiled. "But you can't be the best man. Sonic already has that spot reserved."

"Aw... that was my next question too..." Hooper playfully moped. He then laughed it off. "But seriously, congratulations. After what we've all gone through... it'd be nice to have something good like that."

Tails nodded. "No problem."

"Ah, I thought I'd find you here," said Sonic. "You two okay?"

"Yeah, we're good," said Tails. "We ready to go?"

"We're all lined up," said Sonic. "Conway is going to give us a sendoff speech."

Tails and Hooper nodded, and the yellow fox stayed behind to pat his hand against Scourge's gravestone again before joining the other two. He saw that, sure enough, all of the soldiers were lined up, and they all got into the lines, looking up to see Conway walking out onto his balcony to speak to them.

"Now, this is a familiar sight," Conway started, chuckling. "Only, this time, instead of joining to fight, you'll all be going home as heroes." He cleared his throat. "I realise that I haven't been fully fair with you. And there's no point in making excuses about any of it. I didn't do any of it to help you realise your full potential. I did what I did because I was selfish. But... we won. We won, and it's all thanks to all of you. Your combined courage, integrity, and intelligence helped us to not just win, but to protect those that we care about. And that is what I want you to take home. Do not dwell on what you lost. Instead, remember what you fought for, and count your lucky stars that you're going back to that. Your families and friends have missed you, but for what you did, you'll hold a special place in my heart. Thank you for your service." He saluted them all. "Dismissed."

The others all saluted, going around and gathering up their stuff and seeing some vehicles waiting for them. Tails and Sonic hopped in one with Hooper and others joining them too. Along the way, several stops were made so that some soldiers could take planes home if need be, or take cabs or other forms of public transport. They all gave each other their numbers if need be, and the trucks were slowing down as Sonic looked out the truck.

"Well... this is my stop," he said to Tails. "So... I don't know how else to say this. I'm really going to miss you, man."

Tails smiled. "I'll miss you too." He hugged the blue hedgehog. "But remember, you're the best man at my wedding."

"Ah... I'd better get to work on that embarrassing speech. But maybe after my girlfriend welcomes me back," Sonic winked, sharing a fist bump with Tails. "See you when I see you."

Tails waved goodbye, and the convoy carried on, and the thoughts of Cream came flooding to his head, causing him to smile.

* * *

 **Meanwhile, with Cream at her house...**

The cream and orange rabbit was pacing back and forth, or rather waddling. Blaze was helping her to move around, trying to be a reassuring best friend, which wasn't the easiest thing to do with an expectant mother who was very clearly worried about her fiance not coming back.

"What if he doesn't come back?" Cream asked.

"Cream, calm down," Blaze tried.

"I can't!" Cream said. "I'm going crazy here! My Tails was out there for so long! What if... what if he's one of the ones who didn't make it back?"

"Cream, I'm sure that that's not the case," the purple cat replied. "He's way too smart to let something bad happen to himself."

"Yeah, but what if it was someone else?" Cream asked. "What if someone tried to sneak up on him and got the better of him?"

"You need to stop thinking the worst," said Blaze, seeing a vehicle come outside.

"The worst? I'm... I'm trying not to..." Cream said. "But... I worry... I... I love him so much..." Cream sniffled a bit. "He's my love... mine... and..." She rubbed her stomach. "Our little girl is one the way soon... I... I don't want her growing up in a world where she doesn't know who her father is..."

"And she won't," said Tails.

Cream opened her eyes, looking up to see her yellow fox husband to be. She wiped her eyes several times, unable to believe what she saw, before reaching a hand over and slowly wading over to him. She soon reached hi, her hand touching the side of his face.

"Tails... you... made it..." she said.

Tails nodded. "I told you that I would. All in one piece too, just like I promised."

Blaze smiled and waved. "Hi there. Ooh... nice army fatigues."

Tails smiled. "Hi, Blaze. Good to see you. Have you been taking care of her?"

"Eh, it's a mix of me, her mother, and Silver," said Blaze. "I'm assuming that Cream told you about what they did in the letters, yes?"

"That she did," Tails smiled, looking back at his fiancee. "Sweetheart... my Cream... I missed you so..." He couldn't stop some tears of his own from falling. "I... I'm sorry..." He sniffled a bit. "Man... you get back from a war, you see all sorts of bad stuff, but... nothing makes you cry like coming back home to those you love... I'm sorry that I went away... but... we won..."

Cream nodded, smiling and crying too. "You won..."

Tails nodded. "Yeah... and I made my promises to you..." He then pulled away before leaning down to kiss Cream's stomach. "And you too." He put his hand against it, and soon felt a kick. "Ooh... she's a tough one."

Blaze giggled. "This is very cute and all, but I feel like I shouldn't be here."

"Why not?" Tails asked.

"Because... well, you're a hero now... you just got back from a war..." Blaze said, trailing off and dragging words out.

Cream and Tails both blushed before the former spoke. "I... don't think I'm in the best condition for that..." she said.

The yellow fox smiled. "Yeah. I was thinking that we could all go out and celebrate instead."

"What were you thinking?" Blaze asked.

"A nice dinner over at Vanilla's new place," Tails said. "Well, I say new. It's been around for a few months now, right?"

"Yep!" Cream giggled. "But, since you haven't technically been in there yet, it's still new to you, at least."

"That is a very good point."

Blaze smiled, pulling out her phone. "I'll ask Silver if he wants to come around."

"Ooh, and I know who to ask too!" Cream said.

"Oh, that family you told me about?" Tails guessed.

The cream and orange rabbit nodded. "The very same!"

"Their daughter loves me," Blaze said. "According to Jaime-May, I'm vewy pwetty."

"I mean... she's not wrong," Tails shrugged.

"Got to agree with him," Cream giggled. "So, how hungry are you?"

"Hungry enough that I could have a nice lunch with my loved ones," said Tails, his stomach rumbling. "We barely got breakfast this morning at the base... I'm starving..."

"Then we'd better get moving," Cream said. "Say, is there anyone you want to bring along too?"

Tails nodded. "I had a few friends in the military. I only know one that lives sort of close, so I'll ask him if he wants to come around."

"Is this one Sonic?" Cream asked.

"That it is," Tails said. "I swear, with the exception of you, he was probably the one guy who I mentioned the most."

"I still can't believe that he's dating someone famous!" Blaze said, getting a look from Tails. "What? We're girls. We gossip when our men aren't around. And sometimes when they are."

Tails chuckled. "Amy's not super duper famous, but she's done well for herself."

"That she has," said Blaze. "Anyway, come on. Let's get ourselves some grub."

The doorbell rang, and Tails went over to answer it, seeing a pair of dogs that he didn't know by face, but by name. "Tarin and Wade, right?"

"Ah, you must be Tails," Tarin smiled. She gave him a hug, and Wade did soon after.

"Wow... Mobian dogs are very affectionate," Tails said, hugging back.

"What brings you here?" Blaze asked.

"Oh, well, you know about Cream asking us to help just in case you weren't around?" Wade said.

"Oh, yeah, that," said Blaze. "This is normally the time that you come over to help her."

"I guess because she was expecting me, you," Tails said, pointing at Blaze, "stopped what you were doing to help her just in case, right?"

"That's right," the purple cat nodded.

"To be fair, we had no clue that you were coming back," said Tarin. "We're sorry for intruding."

"And here I was thinking that you got my text," Cream giggled.

"Ah, we did, but we couldn't respond while driving," said Tarin. "It's, you know, dangerous trying to do that."

"Well, thanks to a ton of conveniences, we're now all together," Blaze laughed. "Except for one tiny adorable puppy..."

"Oh, Jaime-May is in the car seat," said Wade.

Tails smiled. "Could I meet her?"

"Sure," said Wade. "I'll go get her."

Tails nodded, waiting, and sure enough, Wade returned with Jaime-May. The yellow fox smiled, reaching his hands out for the baby dog, who eagerly reached out to Tails, letting him pick her up. He held her on his hip, bouncing her up and down a bit and smiling.

"Hi there, adorable," he said. "Aw... she's so cute..."

Jaime-May reached to pet Tails' face. "Fwuff..."

He petted her face. "Hmm... you're way fluffier than me..."

Jaime-May giggled, playfully nipping at Tails' hand before seeing his tails behind him. Her eyes widened. "Ooh..."

Tails chuckled, lifting his tails to let the puppy play with them. Jaime-May petted them and purred happily, making cute gurgling noises before grabbing one and hugging it like a teddy bear. She buried her face into it, letting out more purrs and happy noises.

"Fwuff! Cewt fwuff!" she said.

Tails petted her ears. "Hehe! Just like you!"

"I swear," said Wade, "when our children are born, we're going to have so many play dates."

"Pway!" said Jaime-May.

Tails smiled, booping the puppy's nose before handing her back to Wade, who smiled and spoke. "We can play later. We're going to get some food."

"Fewd?"

"Yes, food!" said Wade, nuzzling his daughter, who nuzzled back and licked his face.

"I supposed we'd best get going," said Tarin. "Ooh, wait, what'll the car plan be?"

"We'll go and you follow us?" Tails suggested. "We won't all fit into one car, mostly because the baby seat would prevent that. Me, Cream, and Blaze will take our car, you can take your car, and we'll all go together."

"Sounds good," said Tarin. "All right, let's get to it."

The others all nodded, with the dog family getting to their car easily. Tails and Blaze helped Cream to the shotgun seat of their car, with Blaze sat in the back. Tails and Cream's car left first, with Tarin and Wade's car following closely behind them. Blaze even turned to wave from time to time at Jaime-May, who waved back with a cute grin on her face.

Soon, they all arrived there, and Vanilla smiled. "Hello, and welcome to Vanilla's Sweet Treats! What can I do for-" She was cut off when she saw Tails, coming out from behind the counter to give him a hug. He smiled and hugged back as she spoke. "I was told that you were coming back today, but... I wanted to see it for myself."

Tails smiled. "It looks like I've been surprising a lot of people today."

Vanilla giggled, letting the hug go. "You know the tagline already, I'm guessing?"

Tails smirked. "I do. But I'd like to hear it."

Vanilla laughed a bit, clearing her throat. "Welcome to Vanilla's Sweet Treats! Whatever the treat, we've got it to eat!"

"Huh, nice tagline," said a new voice.

Blaze turned and saw Silver, smiling. She went over to hug and kiss him. "Hey there, handsome. Glad you could make it."

"Me too," said Silver, showing his own affection before going over to Tails to hug him. "Glad you made it back in one piece, man."

"Yeah, me too," Tails smiled, hugging back.

As it went on, Sonic and Amy soon arrived as well, and they were all out in the back garden area. Cream noted that Vanilla had time to make it look more of an open space, and it paid off. There were already people sat at tables, and there was still enough room for their own group to sit and eat.

They all sat around, having some delicious food to eat, all celebrating the work that Tails did. He would often counter with Sonic putting in just as much work, and it spoke of their bond that they forged in the army. They were sharing some warm drinks when a figure walked over to them.

Blaze looked at it. "Who... is that?"

Tails sat up. "It's Conway."

He and Sonic stood and saluted, and Conway did the same back before smiling. "At ease, soldiers."

"What brings you here, sir?" asked Sonic.

"Please, just Tyson will do," said Conway.

"It'll be weird to call you that," the blue hedgehog chuckled.

Tails nodded in agreement. "I didn't think that I'd see you so soon again."

"Well, it's not just him," said Vector, appearing from behind. He walked over to Vanilla, hugging her and kissing her cheek. "It's good to see you all here."

Vanilla blushed. "You too..."

"Aw..." Amy said. "That's so sweet."

Conway laughed. "I'm actually here because... well, I wanted to ask Tails something."

"If we've got more missions to do, then I really don't want to..." said the yellow fox.

"No, it's not that," said Conway. "Listen, I know that... that we didn't get along as well as I would have liked during our time at Chimera. But I wanted to ask if I could come to your wedding to your lovely bride to be."

Tails appeared to mull it over, extending his hand out. "You know, I'd like that."

"We all would," Vanilla said.

"How much time do you have before you have to go back?" asked Tails.

"All the time in the world," Conway said. "My job is pretty much done. I'm officially retiring, and Vector is going to take my place."

"I-I am?" Vector asked. "Sir, it's... an honour. I swear, I'll do my best." He saluted, very happy at the prospect.

"Well, you will when it's sorted with the judge," said Conway. "But I believe that you'll have what it takes."

"Thank you so much, sir..."

Tails smiled, and then heard Jaime-May squeaking. "Is she okay?" he asked.

"She's fine," said Tarin as Wade walked over with them in tow.

"Do I know you two?" Conway asked.

"Not me," said Wade. "But my dad worked with you. He said that he was honoured to have fought by your side."

"Hmm... ah, I know that face," Conway said. "Your father, Garber, right?"

"Yeah," said Wade.

"I got to tell you, best sniper I ever laid eyes on," Conway chuckled, turning to the others. "Now, I'm going to enjoy my retirement at home with my wife. Before I go, I want you all to know that, despite what happened... Tails and Sonic are good men. They did their best given the conditions that they were in. Their bravery and thoughtfulness exceeded any doubt or worries, and for those reasons, I am grateful to have had them under my wing." He gave one last salute. "Thank you. I shall see you all at the wedding."

"We'll let you know when we have the date set and such," Tails smiled, also saluting. "Thank you, sir."

"Yeah," Sonic said, following Tails' actions. "Thank you, sir."

Conway gave one last nod, turning to walk away. Vector soon followed, giving one last kiss to Vanilla's cheek before leaving with Conway. After they both left, everyone went and sat back down, finishing their food and drinks and soon leaving with heartfelt goodbyes, all making promises to meet each other again soon.

"Ah... that was a lovely meal," said Tails. "Thank you, Vanilla."

The mother rabbit smiled. "It was no trouble, Tails. I'm just glad that you're back safe."

"I am too," Tails nodded. "I went and fought, I won, and now I've got great friends and family, a baby on the way, a marriage to mother of said baby..."

"I'm right here, you know," Cream giggled, kissing Tails' cheek. "But... yes. I want all of that with you. I love you."

"I love you too." The two shared a kiss before Tails turned to Vanilla. "Thank you for looking after while I was gone."

"I tried, but it was mostly Blaze," Vanilla shrugged. "And in some odd way, you helped with the letters."

"I still have them all," Cream giggled. "I... really should clean them up."

Tails smiled. "We'll save that for when we get home." He got up and hugged Vanilla. "Thank you so much. We'll see you when we see you."

"See you later," Vanilla said.

The three said their goodbyes to each other, and Tails and Cream began driving back home. Blaze had already gone back with Silver, so it was just Cream and Tails in their car. The two got home, and as soon as they got through the door, they sat on the couch to rest, Tails sat up straight and Cream's head resting in his lap as he petted her softly.

"You know, it might take some getting used to, me being back and all," said Tails.

"Mm-hmm..." said Cream.

"And we have so much to set up for too..."

"Yeah..." Cream yawned.

"But we'll work it all out, right?" Tails smiled. "Right?"

He looked down, seeing Cream's eyes closed. He carefully extricated himself from her, getting some cushions to hep rest her head before grabbing a blanket and covering her with that too. He knelt down, sighing happily and kissing her lips as she slept before going down to kiss her stomach.

"I love you both... so much..."

And with that, he got up from his position, going to the shower before getting some rest himself.

* * *

 **And another chapter of this now too! I told you it would happen! So, yeah, a nice sweet one. There's still a bit of story to go, so stick around for that. Soon to come on my profile will be a couple of requested one-shots, then I'll be back to the usual shtick. See you then. Take care, and stay tuned.**


	15. Pushing The Envelope

Another couple of weeks had passed since Tails had returned home to Cream and his daughter to be. During that time, he got himself re-familiarised with the townspeople, even bumping into some fellow soldiers who he didn't expect to have lived that close.

And, during that time, he helped Cream around, just like he promised that he would. Anything she needed help with, he was there, but not in a patronising way. In fact, Cream only asked for help when absolutely necessary, or rather when she deemed it so.

The two were in the middle of a nice lunch at Vanilla's Sweet Treats, and they were sharing some good laughter and talking when some people walked in. Tails got a subtle but good look at them and raised a suspicious eyebrow, but focused on his food.

While Tails got a good look, he didn't notice Cream ducking to try and not make eye contact, as she recognised the people as being the troublemakers from the bus ride a few months before. Since she was more pregnant now and Tails had just gotten back from a war, she didn't want another fight.

The leader of the hoodlums walked up to the counter, smiling at Vanilla. "Hey there, doll. Could I get a... muffin?"

"Just one muffin?" Vanilla asked. "Between three of you?"

The leader grinned. "Yeah. I mean, there's more than enough of your muffin to go around."

Vanilla sighed. "My, my, you boys certainly know how to treat a lady."

One of the other mischief makers spoke up. "Say, doesn't she remind you of someone, Bugg?"

"Oh, yeah," Bugg said. "That pregnant bitch from a few months ago. On that bus ride. Man... I bet her husband never even got back home."

"Hell, we'll bag her and this fine little bunny too."

Tails looked up at Cream, sighing. "We'll talk more about this later..."

"Please, don't do anything reckless..." Cream said, reaching a hand out.

Tails took her hand and kissed it. "I won't." The yellow fox then stood up, slowly walking over and speaking from behind the boys. "Hey, could I get a free refill?"

"Sure thing!" Vanilla called.

Bugg turned around to see Tails, who made sure he was obstructing the view so that Bugg couldn't see Cream directly. "And who the fuck are you, furry boy?"

"I'm Tails," the fox said. "Well, my name is Miles, but everyone calls me Tails because... well, it's pretty obvious."

The third hoodlum finally spoke. "Yeah, well, how about you get out of here, freak? We were in the line first."

"True, but we were here before you," Tails said.

"We?" Bugg smiled. "What, is your sister here too?"

"Not exactly, but the person you were harassing just moments ago is soon to be my mother-in-law," said Tails, stepping aside.

Cream waved at Bugg, and the leader of the hooligans grinned and started to laugh a little bit. "Oh, it's her! Oh, man, I was wondering where she went!"

"Well, would you like to know where she's going after we're done?" Tails asked.

"Where would that be?" Bugg asked.

"After we're done, we're going home, where her fiancee, who just got back from a months long war, who was involved in a bloody massacre, and most importantly, who has no time or tolerance for your brand of misogyny and misbehaviour, is going to take care of her."

"Y-You're the guy?" the second hoodlum asked.

"I am the guy," Tails said. "And given what I'm looking at, I'm glad that she didn't spoil anything for me for when I got back, because I feel like looking at wastes of space like you three was something that I had to do for myself."

"Oh, I'm going to whip your ass, fuzzy!" Bugg said, pushing Tails.

The yellow fox merely grinned, sorting out his jacket. "You see, I don't think that you quite realise the extent of what is happening. Now, I shall admit, I was never a great fighter. But then I joined the army. I got better at fighting. I got better at dealing with people such as the likes of you. But I don't want to fight you. For one thing, I don't want to leave a bad impression on my fiancee or my baby girl to be. For another, I don't want to give this place a bad name for the fight. And, finally, no janitor alive will have enough cleaning products to clean what's left of you off the floors. So, either you leave peacefully, or else."

Bugg sighed. "Fuck it. Let's get out of here." He and his group pushed past Tails, and he stopped by to smirk at Cream. "I'll see you another time, bunny."

The orange and cream rabbit smiled politely at him. "I really hope that it's not any time soon."

Bugg bared his teeth in another smile before he and his crew left. Tails, back at the counter, nodded at Vanilla for his free refill before returning to Cream at their table, with Vanilla herself actually coming over to join them.

"They attacked you?" Tails asked.

"They tried to," Cream said.

"Why didn't you say anything about it?"

"Because with everything else on your plate at the time... I didn't want to worry you." Cream sighed. "And also, I was given this." She reached into her handbag to pull out a taser. "Silver gave it to me. He saved me from those morons on the bus the first time."

"I guess that you got lucky, not running into them again," said Tails. "I mean, you could have handled yourself anyway, but... with another life on the way..."

"I know," Cream said, hanging her head. "I should have told you... I'm really sorry..."

Tails reached for her hand. "I understand why you said nothing before."

Vanilla sighed. "I didn't hear about it either until now. Does anyone else know?"

"Only Silver. He may have told Blaze as well..." Cream admitted. "But that's it."

"Cream..." Tails rubbed a thumb over her hand, lifting it up to kiss it. "Sweetheart... don't worry me like that again..."

"I won't..." Cream said. "But... Silver did give me some help if my back was against the wall."

"Oh?"

She giggled, reaching into her purse to pull out her taser. "A little bit of help from Silver."

Tails smiled. "That is handy indeed," he said as Cream put it away.

"It is a pretty good choice," said Vanilla, "but considering how far along you are, don't you think that you should avoid those types of conflicts?"

Cream nodded. "I will... try to..." She looked over the other two. "I'm really sorry if I worried you like that. If it helps, I didn't go out seeking that kind of trouble. And it happened only one other time that I didn't think much of it..."

"It's fine," Tails said. "Just... be more careful."

"I was," Cream said. "I still will be. Hmm... maybe that's why they didn't bother me before except for that one time. I was alone, but just that once. All other times, my mum was helping, or Blaze, or Tarin and Wade."

"Oh, you were right about them being adorable, by the way," Tails smiled.

Cream giggled. "But... they only bothered me then. And I think they didn't even notice I was here until you popped up not because you wanted them to notice me, but because they probably only saw my mum where she was, thinking that she was alone."

"Well, the less that we talk about those guys, the better. For now, let's just finish our food," Tails smiled at Cream. "I love you..."

"I love you too..." Cream smiled.

Vanilla chuckled. "Another refill?"

"Please!" the happy couple said in unison.

The two finished their breakfast and soon were leaving, thanking Vanilla for the food as they took off. Tails drove them back to their house, and it was the first time he'd gotten a really good look at it as he was mostly focused on Cream before, and he chuckled.

"What is it?" Cream asked.

"It's... it's nothing..." the two-tailed fox said.

"No, tell me. Please."

Tails smiled. "I... I never really got a good look the first time. But... you kept all of these letters..." He smiled. "I guess you didn't have the time to fully sort them all out, huh?"

Cream sighed playfully. "We wrote so much to each other. I bet you kept all of yours too, huh?"

Tails nodded. "I did." He snapped his fingers. "That reminds me, I actually have all of yours in my bag."

Cream giggled. "Go and get them! We'll compare them and read them out!"

The yellow fox laughed and nodded, heading to their bedroom to find his bag that he had in the army. He was glad that they let him keep it, and he looked around inside, rooting around until he found the letters. He got them all out, being very careful so as not to spill any of them over, and Cream smiled at him.

"I'd help with the pile you have, but..." Cream gestured to her stomach. "Yeah..."

Tails chuckled. "It's fine. I'll sort yours out too."

"Thank you..."

Tails leaned over and kissed her. "Anything for you..."

The two shared the kiss more, smiling before Tails got her letters all sorted out as well. He went through them by date and time, and when it came to letters that didn't have either of those two things, he based it on what he could remember her writing to him and what he wrote to her, using his memory to piece them all together.

"Ah... that looks a lot better," Tails smiled. "It's... it's a nice little pile. All the hard times we had when I was fighting... I want this to be our best reminder that we always have each other when it comes to the worst of times."

Cream nodded. "That's sweet..." She then looked closer. "Hmm... interesting..."

"What?" Tails asked.

"Your pile is smaller than mine is..." Cream pointed.

Tails looked closer, and nodded. "You're right. Why could that be? We wrote each other as often as we could. Hang on..." He did a quick check through, finding the numbers between them to be quite different. "Oh, wow. Something isn't right here..."

"I know..." Cream said. "Why do you have fewer letters than I do?"

"I don't know," Tails said. "Even the dates are all off too. Whatever it was, it's kind of odd..."

It was then that there was a knock at the door, and Tails went over to answer it, seeing Vector on the other side, holding a bag with him. Tails politely smiled and stepped aside, allowing the green crocodile to walk in, who saluted at Cream.

"Vector? What brings you here?" the rabbit asked.

"Ah, well, I have some mail to deliver," said Vector. "For Tails."

"Me?" Tails asked.

"Would you prefer Miles Prower instead?" Vector smirked.

The yellow fox chuckled. "Seriously, why not just leave it in the mailbox?"

"Because these are letters meant for you from Cream," Vector said.

"What do you mean, exactly?" Cream asked, confused.

"Yeah, I don't get it either."

Vector got to the living room and sat down. "Well, during most of your time with us, you had letters delivered to you. Unfortunately, because of how busy everyone was at the time, we couldn't give everyone more than one letter at once. Two was the maximum. And you were no exception." Vector opened up the bag that he was holding. "This isn't all of them, just what we could recover. We should get more delivered soon. The postal service is a nightmare like that, even with the two of you living in the same place now."

"Was it just us?" asked Cream.

"No, there were others," said Vector. "Sonic and Amy, for example. There was also Rosy and... well, Tails knows."

The yellow fox nodded. "I do."

Vector smiled. "But, yes, these are all of your letters for now. As soon as we can get more sorted, they'll be delivered to you."

"Thank you," Cream smiled.

Vector nodded. "It's no problem. Anyway, uh, I'd best be off. I have a few more deliveries to make."

"Oh, say, before you go," Cream said, "I have a question. And it's also for Tails too."

"What is it?" asked Tails.

"Well... I know that you've already been back for a couple of weeks, but we never got a proper celebration. I was thinking a house party here? We could host," Cream suggested.

Tails stood and thought about it, then nodding. "I'm fine with that. And we have enough room here for a few people. And there's always our back garden too," Tails said.

Cream giggled and leaned to hug him, kissing his cheek before turning to Vector. "With that out of the way, I was wondering if you'd like to come over?"

Vector nodded. "I'd be glad to. Since I'm not in the army any more, I don't have nearly as much to do. It'll be nice to get around a bit more."

"Great," Tails smiled. "And don't worry. I'm sure that you'll find something to occupy your time that doesn't involve working me to the bone."

"But that was my favourite thing to do," Vector joked, saluting. "When is the party, by the way?"

"Oh, well, maybe not until tomorrow. We still have a few things to sort out," said Cream. "Maybe about six pm?"

"Eh, as good a time as any," Vector said. "All right, I really should leave now before a lot of people start to notice that their mail has gone missing. See you two later."

"Bye!" said Tails. "Good seeing you!"

"Take care!" Cream added.

The green crocodile turned to leave, waving goodbye as he departed. After he left, shutting the door behind him, Tails helped Cream up to her feet before looking around the letters again, smiling as he picked them all up, putting them into small piles.

"What are you doing?" Cream asked, noticing his behaviour.

"Oh, just making it easier to move these out the way," Tails answered. "I... kind of have an idea for them, actually."

"What would this idea be?" the orange and cream rabbit asked.

"I was thinking that we could take certain parts and frame them," Tails said. "Maybe something that forms a bit of a poem for us. Like a symbol of how we kept on going."

"Well, it's a sweet idea, but I won't want any of these letters to be cut up for that," Cream said. "Plus, I worry that it would make us look like those weird stalkers that cut out magazine clippings and put them into sentences."

"You didn't have to deal with anyone like that while I was gone too, did you?" Tails asked.

"Thankfully, no," Cream said.

Tails chuckled. "Good. And also, I wasn't planning on cutting them up. Maybe making some copies of them using our computer. I could cut the parts that we need from the copies and put them all together in one frame so that it looked like a little poem."

Cream gushed. "Aw... that's such a cute idea!"

Tails nodded. "I'm glad that you think so. Sadly, we won't be able to execute it yet. I want to wait until we get all of the letters that we're missing first."

"Sounds fair," Cream nodded.

"Now then," Tails said, "Who were you planning on inviting to our house party? More to the point, what are the rules?"

"Well, alcohol will be allowed, but obviously not for me," Cream said.

"Wise choice."

Cream giggled. "We'll have plenty of nice snacks for them. Ooh, maybe me and my mum could make some recipes from what she sells at her place!"

"That does sound nice, but I think you should take it easy still," Tails said. "I mean, after all, you are great with child. Our child who is probably going to be super adorable because she'll look... well, just like you."

"She'll also have a part of you in her," Cream reminded. "She always will..." She then began to sniffle a little bit. "To think... I was so worried for you still. I still feel like this is a dream... and like I don't want to take up..."

Tails leaned down to kiss Cream's stomach, moving up to her lips as well. "Believe it, my love. I'm here now. And I'm never leaving again. I'm never leaving you..." He reached a hand down and felt a kick against his fiancee's stomach. "And I'm never leaving her either. Also, I hope that wasn't an angry kick..."

Cream smiled. "It was probably a happy kick. She might recognise you."

"Really? Can babies recognise their parents' hands?" Tails asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Well, Dr. Callahan hasn't said it," Cream replied. "But she also hasn't not said it, so..."

"Well, with flawless logic like that, I guess it makes sense," Tails said, chuckling and lightly rubbing Cream's tummy again. "Honestly... I'm just glad that I got here before it happened. I knew that I was going to be gone for a while, and then I wound up being away for a lot longer than I anticipated. But then... my only hope was that I come back before she was born..."

Cream smiled, turning to kiss him. "And you're here now... for us..." She nuzzled noses with him.

Tails nodded. "I know... and I'm not going anywhere..." He kissed her again. "And I promise that I'll stick around this time."

Cream giggled. "I'd like that. It'd make a change."

"Stop it, you," Tails smiled. "All right, I'm going to get this mess cleaned up, then we can make some calls about what to do for our party."

"Sounds good to me."

The cute couple broke apart, and Tails gathered up all of the letters, piling them all up separately. As he did, Cream noticed that Tails had put them all together a bit better than she had managed, and she realised that she'd missed this side of him a lot. The caring side that even helped with the little things, the things that seemed the most trivial.

After they were done with that, they managed to get their house organised as much as they could, not wanting to do anything else until they had the rest of it planned out. They realised that they needed more food, and they actually needed alcohol available just in case since neither of them drunk that much, and Cream couldn't really drink at the time.

And, to top it all off, they finished with the phone calls. Several friends that they met were able to make it, even some that Tails hadn't gotten a chance to catch up with even when he first returned. They even contacted some of their further away friends, such as Knuckles and the like, and they all had happily agreed to come along as well.

"All right," Tails said, jotting things down onto a notepad. "Alcohol, some extra milk, other ingredients for some of Vanilla's recipes, some snack foods... man, we're going to need a lot more now."

"Are you sure that you want your army buddies to come over?" Cream asked.

The yellow fox nodded. "Sure thing. Look, it won't be all of them, which I'm weirdly okay with. A lot of them have their own celebrations and matters to attend to. But they know about you, and a lot of them want to meet you."

The cream and orange rabbit giggled. "A lot of them have met me already."

"Well, now you get the chance to meet even more," Tails laughed. "Seriously, thank you for this."

Cream smiled. "It's no trouble. It'll let me catch up with some of their girlfriends as well. You had your army, now I get to have mine."

"Good god... what have I done?"

The two shared another laugh at that, noticing the time. They had lunch, watched TV together, and carried on the rest of what was left of their day before going to bed again, both looking forward to tomorrow as they looked into each other's eyes once more.

"I love you, Tails," Cream said.

"I love you too, Cream," Tails replied. He then rubbed Cream's stomach. "And I love you too..."

"Night..." Cream smiled.

"Night," Tails smiled back.

* * *

 **Another little chapter to add to this. So glad with how people respond to this, and I hope that you guys like it. Soon, more Cyber Riders, More Toys, maybe a little surprise, but mostly, I'm aiming to focus on this and Foxhunt. I'll see you guys for whatever's next. Until then, take care, and stay tuned.**


	16. Gather Around

"All right, everything is all sorted out!" said Tails. "The drinks are ready, the back garden is sorted out, and the music is arranged too."

"Good, good," Cream said, sighing. "Thank you for all of your help, sweetie." She turned to kiss the yellow fox's cheek.

He blushed and smiled. "Don't thank me. Your mum gave us the recipes and instructions for the food. Shame she couldn't be here..."

"I know," said Cream. "Word picked up fast about her cafe, so it's probably swamped, especially since it's a weekend. She's going to be super busy."

Tails smiled and chuckled. "It's a very good thing that she's not here and that we're not over there clogging things up."

"Yeah..." Cream said, feeling a kick in her stomach. "Ooh... I need a sit down..."

Tails smiled, helping her to sit down. "There... just take it easy..."

Cream sighed and breathed. "Tails, how long until they get here?"

"A couple of hours," said Tails. "Maybe less. It is around six pm, right?"

"For the party, yes," said Cream. "We have... just under two hours left to kill." She smiled at Tails. "You were right on there."

"That's happening a lot nowadays. I'm fine with that," said Tails, smirking. "Still, we need a good way to kill the time." He snapped his fingers. "I know!"

Cream raised an eyebrow at him, then saw him walk over to the piles of letters. In the time between arranging for the party and inviting whoever they could get their hands on, they did also sort the letters out more into what had definitely been received and what hadn't. Tails picked up one from the pile of letters that he never fully received from Cream, and he smiled, clearing his throat.

"Dear Tails, the baby has been kicking more and more today. I've spent... maybe three hours trying to calm her down? I would go to the doctors to ask about it, but I only went a few days ago and didn't set a new appointment just yet, since I like to save that for when the ultrasounds happen. But then I started to sing to her, and while it helped, it wasn't until I started talking about you coming back that she seemed to calm down. She still kicked, but it felt... happier. It wasn't as painful, and I know that we still won't be able to see her for another little while, but I could sort of feel her smile. I pictured her waving her cute little hands and feet happily as she sees you... and now I'm crying just thinking of that. I love you, Tails. Please come back soon. Love, your Cream."

Cream sniffled happily at that. "It's true. And I like to think that that's still happening now. Ever since you came back, everything has felt a lot easier."

Tails smiled, standing up and kissing Cream softly as he rubbed her belly. "Trust me, I have no intention of ever making things too difficult."

Cream smiled at that and kissed back. "Thank you..." She wiped her tears. "All right, we should probably just chill or something before they get here."

Tails nodded. "Ah, well... we still have to make the food. We were given the instructions, yes, but we haven't done them yet, and given how much time that we have left, it would be for the best to do that now."

Cream sighed playfully and smiled. "Can't we just leave some junk food out for them?"

"Oh, that'll be there, but they might not need it after tasting some of your mum's cooking," Tails smiled.

She giggled and made an attempt to get up. "Well... you could use a hand in the kitchen."

"What, you're afraid that I'll blow the house up by myself?" Tails joked, helping her.

Cream giggled again, and she followed Tails over to the kitchen. They had some notes with the recipes for the food that they would make over the next half an hour, said food being Vanilla's signature muffins, with various flavours and fillings such as blueberries, cherries, cream, chocolate, and so on. Tails and Cream oversaw the process together, and they took breaks between to clean their hands when they needed to. Finally, after they were done, they put them in the oven, alongside some chocolate chip cookies which Vanilla had opted to help out with as well.

After the food was all prepared, the rabbit and fox couple sat down and enjoyed watching some TV, even playing some video games together. and during intermittent periods, they went to check on the food that was cooking along in the oven, with Tails sniffing the scent of the muffins and smiling at Cream.

"They're coming along really well, I think," said the two-tailed fox.

"One of the best parts is, since they're fresh out of the oven, they're going to keep a lot of their flavour," Cream smiled. "The other best part is that cookies and muffins are just great in general."

"Cookie... Muffin... possible baby names?" asked Tails, smiling.

"Cookie is quite cute, actually," Cream admitted with a giggle. "But we're keeping to our promise. We wait until she's born before we pick a name."

"Yeah, I know," Tails said. "Still, I'm really excited, I guess."

Cream smiled at that, then checked her watch. "Ooh, we have about fifteen minutes left. Want to just sit and wait?"

"You could sit and wait, and I'll stand and wait," said Tails. "And I should put the letters a bit out of place. Not that I don't want the others to see them, because... well, some of them already have seen them, but it's just so that there's less mess if something gets spilled on them."

Cream nodded. "Smart thinking."

Tails nodded, and he did what he said he would do. He gathered up all of the letters to put them in piles in his and Cream's bedroom, making sure that they were all still arranged into neat piles. Despite how long it took him, he still had a few minutes to spare before the first guest arrived. Or so he thought, as a hand knocking the door would soon sound.

"I'll get it!" said Cream.

She opened the door and smiled as she saw Blaze and Silver. "Ah, so good to see you two!"

Blaze smiled and carefully hugged Cream. "How are you holding up?" Silver asked.

"She's still walking about," Tails smiled. "Thanks to me, of course."

Silver chuckled. "Thanks for the invite."

"Eh, it seemed like a no-brainer," Tails shrugged. "Silver, could I talk to you for a second?"

"Is everything okay?" Blaze asked.

"Oh... I know what this is about... I think..." said Cream. "Tails, sweetie, if you have something to say to him, you may as well say it with all of us around."

Tails nodded at Silver. "First, thank you for helping Cream with those three nuisances. We bumped into them yesterday at Vanilla's cafe."

Cream nodded. "It's true..."

"Are you guys okay?" asked Silver.

Blaze raised her ears. "What does this have to do with Silver?"

Silver cleared his throat. "When Tails was still in the military, I was on the bus driving back up to our place when we were moving in. I overheard three wannabe gangsters harassing Cream, so I stepped in to help. Even gave her a taser, just in case."

"The fact is, they've bothered me twice, and they didn't win either time," said Cream. "I'm fine."

"You're considerably less fine with a baby on the way," said Blaze. "I get the feeling that those three ass clowns won't really care that you've got a fluffy bun in the oven."

"Look, I won't be going many places," said Cream. "I'm fine with staying home and recovering. Tails made a lot of money during his military work, and we have enough to see us through the pregnancy too. We'll steer well clear of those guys."

Tails nodded. "I agree with her. They can't really hurt us if they don't know where we live. We're safe."

Silver gulped. "I could ask some of my old police buddies to watch over you. It wouldn't be a hassle."

"We're fine," Cream smiled. "Honestly. But we appreciate the help."

"We don't mean to worry, but... okay, if this isn't happening too frequently, it'll be fine," said Blaze.

"Well, it was a while since I last saw them," said Cream. "It's no worry. The less that we see of those boys, the better."

Tails nodded, then the doorbell rang again. "Oh, looks like we've got more guests." He went over to open the door to Sonic, Amy, and Rose.

The three hedgehogs made themselves welcome, and introduced themselves to the other guests, with Rosy speaking first. "Thanks a bunch for letting me come over. I needed to get out of the house."

Tails nodded at Rosy. "I understand. It's good that you showed up too."

Sonic then cut in. "And what about your best buddy in the barracks?"

Tails chuckled. "I mean... yeah, I guess..."

Amy smiled. "Excuse my boyfriend's excitement. He's fresh off a basketball game."

"Oh?" Tails asked.

"Yeah, I just play at a local court for fun," Sonic smiled. "Why not come down to the court one day? We could play a game together. But you can't use your tails to cheat."

"But then I wouldn't win," Tails winked. "Sounds good, though. And it'll get me out the house a little bit more."

"Aw, you're not going to look after your lady?" Cream playfully pouted.

"Oh, like you need my help all the time," Tails smirked, kissing Cream's cheek. "Ah, while I remember, we do have some food as well. Feel free to enjoy the snacks and some drinks. We don't have anything alcoholic, but we do have our back garden area sorted for you should you need the space."

"Sounds good," Amy piped up, looking out the back. "Oh?"

"What is it?" Cream asked.

"Your garden's growing," said Amy. "Looks like... fruit?"

Tails smiled. "That's part of Cream's job. She grows her own fresh fruit here to sell so that people can use them. Jellies, jams, and other such stuff."

Cream giggled. "One day, I might make it a business like my mum's, but without the delicious muffins."

"I don't know," Sonic shrugged. "Organic produce muffins might not be the worst idea in the world."

"That does sound tasty, to be fair," Tails nodded.

"Even I'd eat those," Amy said.

"Of course you would, but you haven't tried any of Vanilla's stuff yet," said Cream. "Or rather, Vanilla's recipes that we remade for later."

"Why can't we have at them now?" asked Rosy.

"We're waiting for more guests to turn up," said Tails. "We're only expecting maybe a few more."

The others nodded, and as some snacks were had amongst the guests, more people showed up as well. Some guests were expected, like Tarin and Wade, sans Jaime-May who was being babysat, and some other friends of Cream's as well as some that Tails met while he was still under Conway's command. The last ones to arrive were Vector and Vanilla, dressed nicely as they walked in.

"Hi there," Tails smiled at them. "It's good to see you both."

"We're not late, are we?" asked Vector. "Or early?"

"You came around the time that was set, so it's no worry," said Tails. "And now that everyone's here, we can officially get things started. People who haven't met, I suggest you do so. If you're struggling for room, there's a back garden area to relax. We've got a TV and some consoles in here for gaming, we have board games and such as well, and we have food and drinks, no alcohol."

"Probably for the best," said Sonic.

"Why's that?" asked Tails.

"Eh... well, I'm not the biggest drinker, but I've been carried away before," the blue hedgehog admitted.

"You're lucky that you're the fun type of drunk," said Amy, giggling. "Speaking of which, I think my next commercial is one for a type of beer. I really hope that I get it right first try and don't get completely sloshed."

"Well, even if you fail, you get some free booze out of it," Sonic smiled.

"And if I wind up succeeding, I'm not bringing any back in case you steal it all," Amy winked.

"Those are fair terms, but still..."

Tarin smiled. "I'm also glad for the lack of alcohol. I mean, kid on the way and one at home and all."

"It's important to stay clean," Vanilla said. "Despite how young you and Wade are, you sure seem to be rather mature for your age."

"Thank you..." said Wade, smiling.

Tails nodded his head. "Oh, wait, that reminds me, that's about everyone, right?" he asked.

"That it is," Vanilla smiled. "Why?"

"Well, before we get the rest of the party started, how about we try some delicious food that Vanilla helped us cook?" Tails smiled.

"I only provided the recipes and instructions. It was up to you to do the rest," Vanilla nodded. "Now all that we have to do is see how well you pulled it off."

"Then let's go and try them out."

The two-tailed fox turned to go to the kitchen, getting out the muffins that he and Cream had made. He got them all put onto plates as well, and with Cream's help, said plates were handed around to all the other guests at the party. Without further words, they all tried, with Vanilla smiling.

"Ooh, this came out really well!" she smiled.

"Well, of course you'd say that," Tails smiled as he tried his own. "And I would too. I mean, you did help us out."

"And a damn fine job she did as well," Vector said. "Ooh... cherries. I love cherries!"

Cream smiled at Tails. "Cherry would be a cute baby name..."

"It would..." he whispered back.

"Seriously, this is delicious," said Sonic. "Man, we've got to hit up Vanilla's place a bit more."

Amy giggled. "Maybe I could bring a production crew over? We might try and film an ad for it."

Vanilla smiled. "That'd be pretty good, actually. I've got no issues with it."

Several others agreed, and soon, everyone had finished their muffins, with all of them in agreement about how nice they tasted. Tails then broke out the chocolate chip cookies for people, explaining that Vanilla had helped with those as well, and then Tails cleared his throat.

"You guys do know that you're free to walk around, right?" he said. "You don't all just have to stay here. Go hang out in other places, if you want. We got the back garden looking nice for a reason."

"Well... it is nice and sunny out," said Sonic. "Shall we, my sweet pink?"

Amy smiled. "We shall, my handsome blue."

Vanilla giggled and helped to pick up her daughter. "We'll go outside too. I have a conversation that I need to have with her."

"I'm not in trouble, am I?" Cream asked.

"No," Vanilla said, shaking her head.

"I'm not in trouble, am I?" Tails then asked.

Vanilla giggled again. "Of course not. It's just something... private."

Cream nodded, her mother helping her up. Tails smiled and stood up too, putting the music on, which was mostly laid back style tunes, and he even put the TV on as well, setting up the gaming consoles for his other friends as he went out to the kitchen. He smiled as he saw Cream and Vanilla talking to each other.

On the other side of the glass, Cream giggled. "A baby shower?"

"Oh, just think about it!" said Vanilla. "We'll even give it a little military theme of sorts!"

"I... I don't know..." Cream said. "It might seem like a lot right now..."

"Oh, it won't be right now," Vanilla clarified. "There's still a lot to prepare for it, for one thing. For another... Tails has only been back for a couple of days. We'll leave it another month or two before setting up the baby shower."

Cream smiled. "Tails wouldn't have to worry about that anyway, right?"

"True, but the less stress that's on him right now, the better," said the mother rabbit.

"Yeah, he's the one under more stress than me..." Cream joked, feeling a kick in her stomach. "Ooh... she didn't like that joke... I know that your dad's been through a lot, but he's fine... he's home now..." She felt another, much softer kick, smiling at it. "See? All nice and happy."

Vanilla smiled. "I'm so glad that there's a lot of me in you, Cream. You're going to be a fantastic mother."

"Maybe, but I won't be the world's best mum, which is you," the younger rabbit smiled.

Tails chuckled, going to get a drink of soda from the fridge when he turned to see Vector walking over. "You want one too?" Tails asked.

"Something with cherry, please," the green crocodile replied.

"Well, you do like your cherries," Tails smiled.

Vector chuckled. "I came here to straighten some stuff out with you. In regards to Vanilla."

"Okay?" The yellow fox seemed curious as he handed Vector his drink.

"I just want to make sure that things aren't... weird for us," said Vector. "I really like her, she's told me how great her husband was and... I just hope that I'm more than able to take his place."

Tails smiled. "Well, I never met Cream's father, but for what it's worth... you're making a good impression."

"You think so?"

"Yeah," Tails nodded. "And besides, it's not that weird. I caught all of your looks at Vanilla when I was video chatting with Cream."

"Hehe... I guess that I wasn't exactly subtle about it," said Vector, rubbing the back of his head. "But it's true. I just wanted to sort this out with you."

"It's fine. Really." Tails smiled. "Heck, you came at a good time. You're going to be a grandfather soon."

"Oh, how will I ever prepare," Vector chuckled, taking a swig of his soda. "I do have something else to bring up with you, though."

"What is it?"

"It's a job," said Vector. "Sort of military related."

Tails sighed. "I'm not going back out there to fight. After what happened... I can't..."

"No, it's not that," said Vector. "A... a lot of our guys didn't fare so well when they came back home. They need help. There's a veterans shelter that I know about. People can have therapy meetings to talk about their experiences in the war, of they can serve each other food and just talk to each other. Sort of like a way of getting back out into the world after coming back home from a world that they never wanted to know."

Tails sighed again. "It's not that I'm not tempted by it, but doing something like that would feel wrong to just do for the money."

The green crocodile nodded. "Trust me, the payment isn't an issue. You'd only be serving food and stuff. See... it's not just veterans, it's homeless ones too. After what happened, there's a lot more out on the streets that need help." He touched Tails' shoulder. "Help from good people like you. A good person with a kind heart."

Tails smiled a bit at that. "Well... I guess that it couldn't hurt. And I do want to help people. Especially the people who helped me when I was with Conway." He nodded. "All right, I'll think about it. Is anyone else coming?"

"Well, besides me, I don't know," Vector said. "I think that's where Hooper might be. Ever since he came back, I haven't heard a lot from him. Maybe he's been busy helping people like him."

Tails nodded. "Good point. Where is this shelter, by the way?"

"From here, it's a twenty minute drive to the left side of the city. It's a small building, but it's got a lot of rooms for vets and the homeless to go to. And with more coming along in need of help, we could use some extra hands on deck."

"It's really not that far away, huh?"

"Nope," said Vector. "And the hours aren't long. The shifts change around all the time, so you could be serving food one moment, then helping someone find a bed the next, if you wanted to."

Tails smiled again and clinked his can of soda with Vector. "To helping our fellow man."

"To helping our fellow man," Vector repeated.

The rest of the party was light and breezy, with most of the food being eaten and most of the rubbish being cleaned up, which surprised Cream. After a small video game tournament, which Amy wound up winning, everyone decided to leave at about nine pm. After Tails and Cream had finished picking up what little rubbish was missed, the two went to their bedroom, cuddling up.

"So..." Tails started.

"So..." Cream parroted, giggling. "Fun party, huh?"

The yellow fox nodded. "Yeah. It was good. And your mum's recipes were amazing."

Cream nodded. "True." She smiled. "You know... my mum asked me about a baby shower."

Tails chuckled. "Yeah?"

"Yeah." Cream sighed. "But not right away. We might leave it a while. Let you get re-acclimatised with everything here."

Tails said. "That might be sooner than you think. Vector offered me a job."

"Doing what?" the cream and orange rabbit asked.

"Working at a shelter for veterans, some homeless too," said Tails. "It's not a far drive, it'd get me out the house... oh crap..."

"What?" Cream asked.

"Vector didn't give me a deadline for when it would be," said Tails. "Then again, I did say that I'd think about it. Because I wanted to bring it up with your first."

Cream smiled. "Well, you always were good at helping people. It'd be nice to see you helping them back."

Tails nodded. "Yeah... it would be..." He smiled. "But I'll leave it a while until I give my answer to Vector. For now, I want to spend time with you."

"Spend time sleeping?" Cream smirked.

Tails yawned. "Yep. That." He smiled and kissed her softly, pulling the sheets up over them. "Goodnight."

"Night... I love you..."

"I love you too..."

* * *

 **And back to this again! I do like writing this story. I hope that this chapter wasn't too filler. I also hope that you enjoyed it, as we are sort of getting into the home stretch of things. I will see you soon for more stuff that I write. Until then, take care, and stay tuned.**


	17. We Take Care Of Our Own

A few days after their miniature party, the cute couple were sorting out more letters into their respective piles. Since it was still early too, they'd just finished breakfast, and decided to spend the day in each other's company after sorting out their mail.

"Man... these piles are starting to get pretty big," said Tails.

"And more evened out too," Cream added. "I'm just glad that we're getting more of them sorted out now than leaving it all as one big mess to sort out when we get all of the letters."

Tails smiled. "Yep. And with you working from home anyway, that's not the worst thing in the world."

Cream nodded. "True..." She then rubbed her stomach as she felt a small kick. "Although, I won't be staying home all day. I do have to leave and go to see Callahan again for another ultrasound."

Tails nodded. "I'd question that normally, but I know that our little girl has been kicking a bit more these days. It's hard for me to sleep," he winked.

Cream giggled. "That's easy for you to say. You're not the one with a small bundle of adorableness in their stomach."

"I'll leave the more adorable of us two to be the bearer of more adorableness," Tails smiled, kissing Cream's cheek softly.

"Going back to work for a second," said Cream, "have you thought about Vector's job offer?"

Tails nodded. "I have, as it happens. I'm thinking that I might take him up on it."

"Really?"

The yellow fox nodded again. "Yeah. I mean, at the very least, I could get a good layout of the building. See what's what, see how many people I recognise from there, that sort of thing. And lastly, see who I can help there. The hours aren't long, and it's good for helping people. That's all that I ever wanted to do."

Cream smiled and kissed his cheek. "Because you're a good person with a good heart, Tails. And a big brain too." She touched his head and squished it playfully. "I mean, come on, there's got to be more brain than there is fluff on your head."

Tails chuckled and turned to start tickling Cream, causing her to laugh too. They soon stopped, and Tails spoke again. "So, if I do go to work today, will you be okay with me not taking you up to see Callahan?"

Cream smiled. "I will be. It's okay. I've got other friends that can take me there. It'd be nice for you to meet the doctor too."

Tails sighed. "I trust that she's doing good work. After all, you put a lot of your faith in her, so I should do the same."

"You know, the first time that I met her, she told me not to worry after you came back. That after all the horrible things that you had to see and do, forced or otherwise, you'd still come back the same person." She smiled. "I'm... I'm glad that you're still the same Tails..."

Tails smiled, taking her hand and kissing it. "Of course. I don't think that I could have come back to you if I felt like I changed too much. All that I saw... all that I've told you about... it wasn't easy..." He then paused, chuckling a little bit. "Man... that job offer sounds really good right about now, if I'm being honest."

Cream giggled. "Take it up with Vector then."

"I will. But later. Let's just sit here and do nothing for a little while first until you have to go out."

"That's one of my favourite things to do," Cream giggled. "You know me so well."

The two did just that, vegetating and watching TV for a few hours to kill the time before Cream's appointment came by. Between watching TV, Cream had called Blaze over, and there was a knock on the door after Cream and Tails were done watching their shows, followed by them getting up to open the door to see the purple cat.

"It's me, your favourite errand girl!" Blaze joked.

Cream hugged her. "I'm glad that you're here," she said.

"I am too," Blaze said. "Tails, if I may ask, why aren't you going with her?"

"Because I need to call Vector about his job offer from the other day," Tails said. "I don't want to get in the way of you two or anything."

"Nah, it's fine. Come with us and call him when you're done," Blaze said.

The yellow fox thought. "Well... I am just going to ask him if I can have a look around. It wouldn't hurt to go with you guys... screw it."

"That's the spirit!" Blaze smiled. "We're still taking my car, though. It's got more space and it's safer for Cream."

"And you're a better driver than Tails is too," said the cream and orange rabbit.

"I'm not even mad. That's just true" Tails said, locking up the door.

They then got into Blaze's car, and the engine started up. They pulled out of the driveway, and were soon on the main road for the hospital. They managed to find a good parking space, and they were all soon leaving the car and heading into the building.

"You also pick awesome parking spaces," said Tails.

Blaze smiled. "Well, if you can be great at any one thing, make sure that it's something that you know."

"I thought that I'd be the best driver of the three of us," said Tails. "I mean, I did used to repair cars and such. I knew all of their insides and outs."

"And you also knew how to put the insides on the outsides when they shouldn't have been," Cream giggled.

"Oh, come on, our first date wasn't that terrible," Tails said, smiling.

"To be fair, it did get a lot better with the ice-cream afterwards," Cream admitted, giggling again as they walked in. She reached the front desk. "Hello, I have an appointment with Dr. Callahan?"

The secretary nodded. "She'll be right with you. She's seeing a patient now. Please, have a seat while you wait."

Cream nodded. "Thank you."

The secretary looked at Tails. "You're new, though..."

"Oh, this is Tails, my fiance," Cream smiled. "He just got back from a tour in the military, so."

"Ah," the woman behind the desk nodded. "Well, thanks for fighting the good fight."

Tails nodded back. "No problem. Just... doing what I had to do..."

He then smiled and sat with Blaze and Cream as they waited. After half an hour of waiting, a woman left Callahan's room, but instead of being happy, she seemed upset, crying and wiping her eyes with a tissue as she left the doctor's office.

"I'm so sorry," Callahan said, "but there's nothing that we can do..."

The patient sniffled her eyes. "I... I don't know if..."

"It's fine," said Callahan. "If you want to keep the baby, I'll help you each step of the way. Trust me."

The patient nodded again. "Thank you..." She then hurriedly left, still crying, as Callahan sighed.

Cream stood up with the others, walking over. "What was that about?"

"That girl... just found out that she was pregnant," said Callahan. "But the baby was... forced, shall we say."

Tails grunted. "I get the feeling that I know who did it..."

Cream touched his arm. "Tails... it'll be fine..."

"No, it won't be," said Tails. "If it is those same guys, then those are the same guys who harassed you and your mother. I... I couldn't live with myself if they got to you first, and I especially couldn't cope if they did anything of the sort to our baby..."

Blaze stepped in and nodded. "He's right, Cream. Those guys are dangerous." She then turned to Callahan. "Does she know who did the deed?"

"No idea," said the doctor. "But, if you ask me... she might not have to worry about the baby. It's up to her if she wants to keep it or not." Callahan rubbed her temples. "I'm sorry. That... that was not how I wanted my workday to start." She looked up at Tails, shaking his hand. "You must be the father."

Tails smiled. "Dr. Callahan, I presume. Cream's told me good things about you for a while now. And, hey, thanks for letting her keep those ultrasounds. They're one of the few things that kept me sane when I was out fighting."

"Well, I'm glad that I could help," Callahan smiled. "So, we'll just take a look to make sure that all is okay. The usual fare, and all that."

Cream nodded, following Callahan into her office and getting changed behind a curtain with the doctor's help. After she was changed, she was helped onto the table, the gown lifted over her stomach as she waited patiently, letting out a yawn.

"It's okay for you guys to come in, you know," Callahan said with a chuckle.

Blaze smiled. "I'll wait outside, actually." She turned to Tails. "I'll see you back out there."

Tails nodded, heading behind the curtain. "Hey," he said, kissing Cream's cheek.

She smiled up at him. "Are you ready for this?"

Callahan laughed a bit. "Hold your horses. I need to put the gel on first."

The doctor then did just that, getting the gel to put on Cream's stomach. Tails kept watching, taking in all the machines that were used for this process, as well as some that were used for what would happen when the baby was born. He was so distracted that he didn't notice Callahan looking over at him.

"Tails?" she asked, clearing her throat.

"Huh?" The yellow fox looked over at her. "Oh, I'm sorry. I was just... looking over your setup."

Callahan smiled. "Then I guess that I should repeat what I said. Did you want to use the machine on Cream? So that you can feel what it's like?"

Cream looked confused. "Hey, how come you never made me that offer?" she joked.

"Oh, you see the baby all the time," Callahan chuckled. "So, Tails? You up for it?"

Tails nodded, taking the device from Callahan. He breathed in and out and rubbed it around Cream's stomach, feeling faint pulses. As he did, he, Cream, and Callahan all looked over at the ultrasound to see the baby, which appeared to look fluffier by the minute.

"Oh... wow..." Tails said, tearing up. "She's... she's moving... our little girl is moving..."

Cream smiled at her fiance's reaction, Mostly at how genuine it felt. She'd almost forgotten that, over months of writing letters and sharing pictures of the baby's development, and even feeling their daughter kicking, he hadn't actually seen it for himself.

Callahan smiled too. "It's a hell of a sight, isn't it?" she asked. "Being able to see something like this with your own two eyes..."

"I'm sorry..." Cream said. "Tails..."

He sniffed a bit and looked over at her. "What... what are you sorry for?"

"For not waiting. I really wanted us to experience this together for the first time..." She sighed. "I'm sorry that I couldn't wait..."

Tails leaned over and kissed her. "You have nothing to apologise for. You're perfect." He then pointed at the ultrasound. "And so is she. I know that seeing her together like this for the first time is something that you only get to share once, but you also only get to share in her being brought out into the world once. And I'm not missing that for anything."

Cream sniffled. "I know..."

Callahan smiled too. "Well, I'm glad that you got that resolved. And we're about done with the scan. Would you like to take the picture with you?"

Tails nodded. "Like you have to ask."

"Well, it is your first time here," Callahan smiled. "I'm just trying to be careful."

Tails nodded again. "I appreciate that. And thanks for seeing us."

"Well, it was supposed to just be your better half," said Callahan, handing the picture over, "but I made an exception. It's not really breaking the rules if the father of the child comes in to see it too."

The yellow fox chuckled. "Thanks again."

"No problem. Now, go on. Get out of here."

Cream giggled at that, and was helped back up to her feet as they went back out to the main hall. They met back up with Blaze, who smiled at the new ultrasound when they showed her, and they were soon back in the car after that, driving home without much fuss. Blaze dropped the two off before turning to leave, and Tails and Cream went into their home.

"I just realised, we need to make some room for our little girl," said Tails. "We'll come up with something."

"Do you think that you should get help?" asked Cream.

Tails smiled. "I'm not too proud to ask for it." He then clicked his tongue. "That was a hint, wasn't it?"

Cream shrugged, "Maybe..." she winked.

Tails chuckled. "Fine, I'll call him. I did promise that much, after all."

"Well, you get to that. I'm going to get some food."

The yellow fox nodded, stopping Cream to kiss her softly before she went into the kitchen. "I love you."

"Love you too..." Cream blushed, soon continuing to the kitchen.

Tails sighed, pulling out his phone and dialling up Vector's number. He soon got a response, smiling. "Hey, Vector!"

"Tails!" said the green crocodile on the other side of the line. "To what do I owe the pleasure?"

"Well, it's about that job you offered me," said Tails.

"What about it?"

The fox sighed. "I want to come over and take a look around, if that's okay? Just before I make my final decision. I do want to take the job, but I want to know what I'm getting myself into first."

"Oh, absolutely," said Vector. "I'll come by and pick you up in an hour. It's lunchtime, and I'm on my way to see Vanilla."

"You old romantic," Tails teased. "All right, see you then. And... thank you, for this. I really appreciate the help."

"I know." Vector smiled. "All right. Uh... bye."

"Bye."

The two hanged up, and Tails came to the kitchen to see Cream starting on food, and he got behind her and hugged her. She smiled and turned to hug his fiorearms, kissing them softly before she started giggling, poking them.

"You got a lot more muscular in the army..." said Cream.

Tails blushed a little bit. "Blame Sonic for that. He kept me fit. But now that I'm back, I look forward to getting fat on your mother's baking skills. And since we get a discount, that day may come soon."

"Well, I already beat you to it, so there," Cream playfully bragged as she poked her stomach. "So, what did Vector say?"

"He's coming to pick me up later," said Tails. "To take a look around the place."

"So... are you saying yes or are you saying no?" Cream pondered.

"I'm not saying anything just yet," said Tails. "But I need the work, especially with the kid on the way. You're lucky that you work from home."

Cream smiled. "I am indeed!"

Tails playfully shook his head. The two shared some lunch together, and were watching some TV as the door was knocked. Tails sat up and waltzed over to the door, opening it to see Vector, who was jiggling his car keys in front of Tails as he stood there.

"Keeping the car running," said Vector.

Tails smiled. "Let me get ready really quick."

"You knew that I was coming and you weren't ready? I'm docking you some performance points for that one, fluffy," Vector joked.

"Like you did back at Conway's base?" Tails asked, getting his shoes on.

"Oh, no, this is way worse," Vector said. "I have free reign now. I may even get drunk with power."

"Dear God..." Tails leaned to kiss Cream's cheek. "I'll be back later, sweetie. I love you."

"I love you too!" Cream said as Tails turned to leave.

"I'll look after him!" Vector said. "I've had experience with that, after all!"

"Yeah, yeah, can it," Tails said, chuckling as he heard Cream's laughter.

The yellow fox then shut the front door behind him as he went over to the front passenger's seat of Vector's car. He got in, waiting as Vector joined him in the driver's seat. They both put on their seat-belts and Vector nodded to his former understudy.

"Are you ready?" the green crocodile asked.

Tails nodded. "Remember, I'm just there to look around." He paused and nodded. "Okay. Let's do this."

Vector nodded, revving the car up before pulling out of Tails and Cream's driveway. They were soon on the main road, and as Vector had promised, the veterans shelter wasn't super far away. It was a little ways from Vanilla's Sweet Treats, and Tails made a note to himself to bring back food on the way home.

They soon reached the building itself, which was piled up with red bricks and some loose white paint that was being lathered onto it by some people working there. Vector pulled the car around until they found a good parking spot, killing the engine and getting out with Tails following suit soon after.

"Looks... homely," said Tails.

"Just go look on the inside," Vector said, leading Tails in.

The yellow fox followed, and got a look around on the inside. He saw some staircases, several rooms, a few corridors, and it was all small, but it didn't feel crowded o cramped. As they walked through, Vector showing Tails around, Tails overheard conversations between veterans, hearing about different divisions here, their parents being war heroes there, and so on. They soon reached a cafeteria room, and Tails sniffed it in and smiled.

"That... that actually smells pretty good," Tails smiled. He looked up and saw a familiar face behind a counter. "Hooper!"

The grey cat smiled and waved. "Hey! Glad that you guys could make it!"

Vector and Tails walked over to him, with Vector stopping to check on some of the other former soldiers there as Tails began speaking again. "I had a feeling that you'd be here."

Hooper smiled. "Yeah, well... honest work for honest man and all that. It's important to look after folk like this, who went through way worse than what we did."

"It's still hard to imagine that a lot of people went through worse than you," Tails admitted. "But this is a good place for you. It's good that you're giving back."

"Indeed it is," said Vector from behind Tails. "He's also a big speaker at the VA meetings."

"Should we even call it that?" Hooper asked. "It stands for "Veterans Anonymous", but nobody here is all that anonymous. They're all pretty good with getting shit off their chests."

Vector nodded. "Fair. But my main point is, he's a good person here. He's helped a lot since being here."

Hooper smiled. "Y'all know how to make a cat blush." He looked to Tails. "You want to stay and help?"

Tails smiled. "I'm only here to make a verdict on whether or not I want to go to work here. And... I think that's a yes."

"Oh?" Vector raised an eyebrow. "You're going to work here?"

Tails nodded. "I'm going to work here. Starting tomorrow, if that's okay."

Vector smiled. "You can come and go whenever you want, but we could always use the extra hands on deck, especially with more vets coming in after the Conway and FATE situation."

"All right, sounds fair." Tails extended a hand to Vector, who shook it. "I'll do my best."

"I'd expect nothing less," Vector chuckled. "All right, I should take you back home since I am your ride."

"Good point," said Tails, smiling.

"Hurry back," said Hooper. "Remember, there's a toilet that needs fixing. One of the veterans had a nasty spook from a loud noise."

Vector sighed. "I'll get to it when I can. You keep doing what you're doing, okay?"

Hooper nodded, waving. "See you later!"

Vector and Tails waved back, soon making it back to the green crocodile's car. They strapped in and soon started their drive back home. Tails looked over at the building again as they departed, and he smiled to himself as the drive went on, soon finishing at Tails' house.

"All right, well... I've taken the job," Tails said, looking over at Vector. He saw a sad look on his face. "Are you okay?"

Vector looked back at Tails and cleared his throat. "Yeah. It's uh... sometimes, our veterans get really bad PTSD. There's been a lot of nasty accidents that have happened because of it. The one today that happened in the bathroom is one that I know about. He pulled the handle too fast when he was done, and the sound afterwards sent him into a shock. He almost bashed his head off the toilet. He's lucky that he's alive."

Tails gulped. "Oh. I'm... I'm sorry."

Vector nodded. "It's not your fault. Or even his. I guess... I guess that we got lucky, you know. We saw some bad things in our war, but what that guy went through... I don't know if I ever want to get in another fight because of that, let alone another war."

"Yeah..." Tails nodded. "I know that you mean. But hey, that's part of why we're helping them, right? To let them know that they're not alone."

Vector smiled. "I swear, you're a natural at this." He petted Tails' shoulder. "All right, you should get back home to your more pregnant half. And thanks for taking the offer up."

"No problem," Tails nodded.

He then left the car, waving as Vector drove away. Tails then sighed, turning to open the door and looking at the time on his watch as he did. He saw how much time had passed since he'd been up at the shelter, and he was happy when he smelled chicken being cooked, heading to the kitchen to see Cream making food.

"We could have ordered out, you know," Tails said.

"We could have, but you weren't here," Cream said. "And besides, I felt like a more properly cooked dinner would be better to celebrate you taking the job."

"Whoa, you don't know that I took it," Tails smiled.

Cream's face dropped. "You... didn't?"

Tails walked over and kissed her forehead. "Of course I did." He then pulled away and looked down at her. "All part of your plan, right?"

"As long as it works," Cream winked. "So, is my man ready to enjoy some tasty food?"

"I've never known you to not cook tasty food, so... of course," Tails smiled.

* * *

 **And that's it for another chapter of this! I've got to admit, it feels really good to be back on this grind again. I hope that you guys liked this chapter, and I'll probably see you all soon for even more of the stuff that I write on here. Until then, take care, and stay tuned.**


	18. Support Group

A few more days had passed since Tails' interview for his new job at the veterans' shelter. He was thankful that his job started basically whenever he wanted, as he was not just an employee, but also a client, for lack of a better term, as he needed help just as much as anyone else that went there.

The alarm clocked buzzed next to him, and he reached to shut it off, turning to his sleeping fiancee. "Baby? You okay?"

Cream yawned a bit and turned back to see Tails, smiling. "I'm fine... you?"

"I'm just fine." Tails stretched and yawned. "Got my first day of work today."

"Ooh... I hope it goes well for you," Cream smiled, kissing his lips.

Tails chuckled. "Good luck kisses, huh?"

"Yep..."

"Could I have another one, please?"

Cream sighed and kissed him again, giggling. "You really are lucky that I love you..."

"I know," Tails said. "Come on, let's go get some breakfast. I'll cook it."

"That would make a nice change," Cream giggled.

Tails shook his head, smiling as he helped Cream out of bed. "Hmm... let's shower first. I've got to look good for my first day."

Cream giggled again and was helped to the shower. They went in together, sharing some kisses and snuggles as well as actually cleaning each other. After they were all done, they dried themselves off and got themselves dressed before going down to the kitchen.

As they were about to get set up for breakfast, the doorbell sounded off. Tails helped Cream to sit down by the kitchen table before going over to the door, and he opened the door to see Vanilla standing there, to his surprise. He stepped aside to let her in, spotting a bag in her left hand.

"Hi, Vanilla," Tails smiled.

"Hello!" Vanilla smiled back, hugging Tails.

"Mum?" Cream turned. "What brings you out here?"

"Oh, well, I came to bring some breakfast to Cream," Vanilla said.

"Are you sure that that's a good idea?" Tails asked. "Shouldn't someone be watching the till at Sweet Treats?"

"Oh, Vector has that handled," Vanilla blushed. "I doubt that anyone is going to mess with somebody like him."

"Fair point," Tails nodded.

"In fact, he's part of the reason why I'm here," the rabbit mother said.

"Oh?"

Vanilla nodded. "I brought breakfast here for you, and after we've eaten, we're going to head to my store, where me and Cream will get to work."

"Are you sure?" the younger cream and orange rabbit asked. "I can't really move around a lot as I am at the moment..."

Vanilla smiled. "Trust me, it's for the best."

"Where does that leave me?" Tails asked.

"Oh, you will meet Vector there, then you're going to head over to the shelter," Vanilla said. "I will admit, he's good at managing the money in the machine."

"I'm honestly not surprised," said Tails. "Considering that he once had to order a camp full of soldiers, he should be a natural at it."

Vanilla giggled. "Enough talking, though. Let's eat some breakfast, shall we?"

She then took a seat at the table, putting a bag full of food on the table. There were different types of muffins and cookies, with strawberries and some other different fruits included as well, as Vanilla was experimenting with the recipes of both foods.

As she set the food up, Tails made some coffee for them all, giving Cream a decaf one. They managed to get through their breakfast thanks to a mixture of their own hunger and friendly small talk to catch up, and they were soon all ready to leave.

They got into Vanilla's car, as she'd driven over to meet up and have breakfast with them in the first place, and they soon made their way to Vanilla's Sweet Treats. The roads were clear on the way over there, and they'd soon reached the store in little time.

They found a parking spot, and they came in through the back door to greet Vector. "Ah, there they are," he smiled. "It's nice to see you all again."

Tails smiled at his former commanding officer. "So, how well did you managed the shop while the owner was gone?"

"I'll show you," the crocodile said, typing into the machine. "All right, order up for table 4!"

He then went over to the part of the counter where the food was, getting a couple of muffins ready. He also got a bottle of orange soda, and put it all in a bag. As he sorted it, the customer who he called for walked over, thanked Vector, and paid for this food before taking it back over to his table.

Vector sorted the money into the right parts of the till, smiling at Tails. "And that is how good I've gotten."

"I had an inkling," the twin-tailed fox said. "I just had to see it for myself."

"What, have I not given you enough reason to not doubt me?" Vector chuckled, turning to hug Vanilla. "Here to take over?"

"Well, it is my shop, and you and Tails have a job to get to, so... yes," Vanilla said drily.

"Yep, she's right," Tails smiled. "Let's head out."

"I sort of miss saying that," said Vector, turning to leave.

Tails smiled, stopping to kiss Cream. "I love you."

"Love you too," she smiled. "Go have a fun first day at work."

"Do you mean that in the sense of being helped by other people or just the sense of helping other people?" Tails asked.

"Um... yes," Cream giggled.

"Fair point. All right, see you later."

He then waved at his cream and orange coloured fiancee, blowing her a kiss before leaving. He noticed Vector copying him and blowing a kiss to Vanilla, and he playfully shook his head at that as they reached Vector's car. Tails was in the shotgun seat, with Vector soon starting the car up and driving to their new workplace. They soon reached the veterans' shelter in little time, finding a place to park and going inside the building.

"So, what's the plan for today?" asked Tails.

"Don't worry. I'll guide you through the process, since I only gave you a basic tour last time," said Vector. "You know where everything is already, but I'll give you updates when there's a free spot for you to work."

"Do we have any extra help?" Tails asked. He then felt a pair of hands cover his face, and he sighed a bit. "You know, this isn't funny, Hooper."

"Oh, you expected him?" asked the voice behind the hands.

Said hands were soon removed, and Tails turned around to see a familiar red echidna. "Knuckles! Man, it's been a while."

Knuckles smiled at the yellow fox. "Yeah, I thought I'd come and help you with some work."

"I gave him a call," Vector explained to Tails. "He works mostly at the gyms here. He helps some of the disabled vets get back into being fit."

"Yep," Knuckles confirmed with a nod. "I swear, there's something super heroic about those guys. They have a lot more to complain about than we do, but they show up and put the work in. Also, some of them pull more shifts, so it saves me a job."

"That is both good and horrible," Tails said, smirking. "But seriously, it does make it easier to know that I have another member of my old squad here with me."

"Hey, we help out who we can around here," said Knuckles. "Come on, the gym sessions are free. Come with me."

"What's Vector going to do?" Tails asked.

"Oh, I'm sure that I'll manage without you," the green crocodile chuckled. "You two go on ahead. I'll find some work soon."

Knuckles and Tails nodded, with the larger of the two Mobians showing Tails around. What he said by gym wasn't really as extravagant as a typical gymnasium would be, as it was kept simple. Some weights and simple machines were tucked in the corner, but the main selling point was the basketball court.

Tails watched as several veterans in wheelchairs rolled around, some older and some younger. Some were playing basketball in a simple 3-on-3 game, while others were getting small workouts in, helping each other to avoid any unforeseen injuries.

"Heads up, guys!" Knuckles said. "We've got somebody new here! This is Tails!"

"Hi," Tails waved as one of the vets made a three point shot. "Ooh, nice one."

"Thanks," said the vet, rolling over to Tails. He was one of the older ones on the court, having white skin and some grey peppering his well-maintained hair, a pair of hazel eyes looking up at Tails' own blue ones. "So, you're the new guy? What makes you a veteran?"

"He was part of the same squad as me," Knuckles said. "The one that took on Darius Conway."

The soldier bowed his head, nodding. "I'm... sorry for your loss. Scourge was a friend of mine."

"It's okay," Tails said. "What's your name?"

"Oh, I'm Rohan," the soldier said. "I was in one of the old Chimera divisions under Conway."

"Ah, right," Tails said. "Which number?"

"28th," said another soldier. "You?"

"44th," said Knuckles. "All Chimera regimens, huh? What are the odds?"

"Well, as long as that sibling rivalry is over, and those FATE ass-holes are gone for good," said Rohan, "I don't care. I'm just glad that you guys managed to stop the war."

"Yeah..." Knuckles said, clearing his throat. "But we're not here to talk about that. That's for later when I take Tails to the meetings. For now, we play some good old basketball. Let's have a couple of teams going."

"Can Tails play?" asked Rohan.

"I mean... no..." Tails said. "I can fly using my tails, but that'd be cheating."

"Ah, right," said Rohan. "Mobian. Superpowers. I forgot about that part."

Tail smiled. "I'll be refereeing the game, though. Do we have a whistle?"

Knuckles revealed one in his hand. "We do indeed!"

"Thank you," Tails said, taking it from him. He walked over to the court, standing between the two teams with the ball being passed over to him. "All right, get to your positions, and let's have ourselves a game!"

He then blew the whistle and threw the ball up, and kept up with the players as they played another game. Despite being in wheelchairs and having just played an already intense looking game, the veterans were a lot quicker than Tails expected.

After a good half hour, the game was over, and Tails chuckled. "Good work, guys," he smiled. "That was... awesome..."

"Too fast for you?" Rohan asked.

"You've got wheels. That's not fair," Tails playfully complained. "All right, you guys take care."

Knuckles smiled and waved goodbye to them as he and Tails left the room. "Good work in there."

"Thanks," the two-tailed fox said. "So, what's next?"

"Nothing yet," said Knuckles. "But when something opens up, I'll let you know. In the meantime, take a look around. Try and take more of the place in. See who you bump into."

"Will do," said Tails.

So, he followed the red echidna's advice, only getting about twenty minutes to explore more of the place. He took in more of the decor, which was a good mixture of dark blue and white, with tiled floors that needed some cleaning. The rooms were mostly clean, despite a few blemishes stemming form the fact that the place could get swamped from time to time.

Tails then got a call on his phone, smiling to see who it was, and answered it. "Hello?"

"Hey, sweetie!" Cream asked. "How's work been so far?"

"Oh, not bad," said Tails. "Just got done helping some veterans keep their strength up. They are really fast. How about you?"

"Things are all fine over here," Cream said. "We're both working well. I'm helping with the till and the organisation here."

"Good to hear," Tails smiled. "Say, I just had an idea, actually."

"Really? What is it?" Cream asked.

"Well, I know that we've done it before, but now that I have a full-time job... well, how about tomorrow, you take some of your homegrown fruits and try to make some new stuff with that?" Tails suggested.

Cream smiled. "I'll keep that in mind for tomorrow. You get back to work. I need to as well."

"Later," Tails said. "Love you."

"Love you too," said Cream.

Tails smiled, and turned to see Hooper walking up to him. "Oh, hey, man."

"Hey," said the grey cat. "We need some extra hands giving out clothes if you want to come with."

"Sure thing," Tails said. "Also, clothes?"

"Oh, yeah," said Hooper. "People are kind enough to donate some stuff here to give to homeless people, veterans or otherwise, and that includes clothing."

"Yeah, I'll come help," said Tails.

Hooper turned to walk, making sure that the yellow fox was following. "So, how'd the gym go?"

"Pretty well," said Tails. "Got to referee a game. Those dudes move really fast despite not being able to use their legs, in some cases because they don't actually, you know, have any legs."

Hooper chuckled. "You're lucky when it comes to jokes like that. These guys take that in stride, no pun intended."

"Are you sure? That sounded pretty torturous to me," Tails snickered.

Hooper stopped and pulled a serious face before smiling. "Eh, it's cool. Now, let's get to helping."

"Sure."

So, Hooper led Tails down to a clothing room, and started explaining the rules more clearly to him. A veteran would walk up, say what kind of clothing they wanted and what size, and the people helping them would simply give them over.

Over a good forty five minutes, Tails, Hooper, and some other fellow former soldiers working behind the counter gave away many shirts, sweaters, hoodies, jeans, lounge pants, underwear, socks, and shoes. After one more had come and gone, Tails and Hooper were replaced by a couple others, waiting outside the room and smiling.

"Man, we got some serious work done," Tails smiled.

Hooper nodded. "You were on fire with those sizes. You know, some of those clothes are from other soldiers too."

"Really?" Tails asked.

"Yep," Hooper confirmed, nodding. "Pretty smart move, if you ask me. Soldiers, old, new, or otherwise, usually have a body type. Most of their clothes would fit those who haven't seen a fight in years, if not decades."

"That... does make logical sense," Tails smiled. "Okay, so... what's next?"

"Well, you've done a lot today, but there is a free room for therapy if you're interested." Hooper sighed. "You don't have to if you don't want to, though."

"No, I'll... I'll do it," Tails said, clearing his throat. "I'm a client as much as I'm an employee, right?"

"Right," said Hooper.

The grey cat guided the yellow fox around the building until they found one of the support group rooms. Inside already was another soldier setting a few chairs out, with Tails and Hooper helping him before a few other soldiers came in. About ten chairs were set, and six of them were filled.

"So..." said the soldier already in there, "who wants to go first?" He saw one of the other ones, a female one, raise her hand. "Margery?"

"Maggie, please," she chuckled. "Margery is for old women. I might be a veteran, but I'm not that old..." The others chuckled. "But yeah... my history with the military was a spotty one. I was one of the only girls there, and despite how progressive the world likes to think that it is... I was forced to work twice as hard as everyone else. I wasn't abused or beaten or anything like that, but I did have more to prove, and my commanding officer made damn sure that I knew that fact."

"So, what happened?" Hooper asked.

"Well," Maggie said, "it was during a raid on our base, actually. We had traps and all sorts set around, mines, turrets, even some bear-traps for good measure, no offence there, Clive."

"Oh, none taken," said a large Mobian bear. "Carry on."

"Anyway, our enemies were approaching the building, but some wiring went faulty and the traps weren't activating," Maggie continued. "I was a medic, so I didn't know anything about the technology that went behind it, but when it came time to finding the right person to make sure that the traps were going to work... the enemy was in too deep into our base. They'd taken some of my regimen hostage, killed others... it was... horrible..." She paused for a second. "But then, I saw the soldier who put these traps together in the first place being held hostage right over a mine that was hidden underground. Of course, the enemy didn't know about that, so when one of our own managed to trigger the traps... they didn't have time to avoid it. Neither did my own soldiers." She stopped again, clearing her throat. "The traps worked, killing off the bad guys that were trying to get to us. But because of how close our own fighters were, a lot of them got hurt badly, some even killed. The amount of body parts that I had to stitch back together... I must have gone through everyone's bags to find the right stuff so that everyone that I could save was save. And, even then... not everyone made it. All because of one stupid fucking accident..."

"How are you holding up now?" asked Tails.

"A bit better..." said Maggie. "That was so long ago now. I'm just happy that most of them made it back..."

Hooper nodded. "You're a good person," he said. "Thank you for sharing. Who wants to go next?"

So, they went all around the room, with other people telling their stories, even Hooper telling about his time being tortured. A few more soldiers had come in to share their own pasts, and the circle finally stopped when it came around to Tails.

"So... that just leaves you," said Hooper.

Tails sighed. "I thought that you'd include parts of my story when you told yours," he smiled.

"That was tempting, but that would have made it too easy," Hooper smiled. "We tell our own stories here."

Tails sighed again. "All right... I've got nothing else to lose by this point. Here goes."

"You take as much time as you need," said another soldier that was sat down.

Tails nodded. "So... I was signed to Tyson Conway's regimen, as was my friend Hooper here. We did a lot to take down FATE in one huge hit, even to the point of sending one of our own soldiers, Scourge, as a double agent. I was the communications expert, so I had to make sure that we were tapped in. We kept in contact under the enemy's nose thanks to codes, some text messages, the usual. Then, one day, it was time. It was time to hit Darius' base and hit it hard. Scourge did everything that he could to exploit their weaknesses. He bugged the place, took pictures and got some video footage, even got on good terms with Darius himself. But..." He paused, gulping. "When we had to strike... there was a trap for us that even Scourge didn't know was coming. And neither did I. I was that one that was supposed to have the big plan that wouldn't fail. My commanding officers, they put that responsibility on me, and I took it with a grain of salt. I wanted us to win, but I didn't want any of us to suffer losses. Because of what happened... I lost a friend. I'm thankful every day that that was our last mission, because I don't think that I could fight again. Not after that..."

Hooper put a hand on Tails' shoulder. "You did the right thing."

The yellow fox nodded, and soon, the session was over. They packed up their chairs to get them put away, and after helping around the building some more, Tails noticed that the time was coming for him to clock out. He was in the middle of giving some clothes away when Vector walked up to him.

"How'd it go at the meeting?" he asked.

"It went... well," Tails said. "I didn't sugarcoat anything. Told them about the operation on the main FATE base and such. And how it... you know..."

"Yeah, I know," Vector said. "But, hey, it's about time for you to head out. You've done well on your first day."

Tails smiled. "Thanks. It was nice to help all of these people here."

Vector nodded. "As for your pay... here." He reached into his pocket and handed an envelope to Tails. "We do get money for helping. It isn't much, and everyone who works here gets the same amount, but it should be enough to support a baby on the way."

Tails looked inside the envelope and smiled. "Yeah, that's good. This is my pay for the week, right?"

"That's right," Vector said. "Don't spend it all in one place."

"I'll try not to," Tails smirked. "All right, I should get going."

"Wait, I drove you here," Vector said. "I can drive you back, if you want."

"Nah, it's cool. I'll call a cab," Tails said. "You take care, man."

"You too."

The two shared a handshake, and Tails called up a taxicab on his phone. He walked to the end of the parking lot, waiting for his cab, and it did come through. He gave the directions out, and was soon back at Vanilla's Sweet Treats. He paid the driver, thanking him before entering the shop.

"Hey, you're back!" said Vanilla. "How did day one go?"

"It was exhausting in places, but it's a good atmosphere," Tails smiled. "I'm looking forward to doing it again."

Vanilla smiled. "You're in time for lunch too. Cream is in the garden out back. I'll whip you two something special up, since it is a special day today."

"It is?" Tails said. He paused to think. "Ah, right. Our first date anniversary. I completely forgot."

"It's fine," Vanilla said. "I won't hold it against you."

"I appreciate that," Tails smiled. He walked past the counter, around Vanilla, and smiled as he saw Cream sat in the garden. "Hello there, beautiful."

"Oh, hey, anniversary man," Cream giggled. "What are the odds of the date being the same as you starting work?"

"Well, we were both pretty busy," Tails shrugged, sitting down to join her. "And besides, when we get married, that can be our new anniversary."

"Smart thinking," Cream smiled. "So, how was your first day at work?"

"It was good. Tiring, but good," Tails said. "I pretty much said this all to your mother when I got back, so. But it was fun. And I got paid a good amount." He waved the envelope. "It's not a lot, but it's a week's pay. More than enough for any baby stuff."

Cream smiled and looked inside. "Huh... nice. You didn't do too bad for yourself. And it's smart them paying you at the start of your job so that you know how much you'll earn."

"It's about the same as all the other workers there," Tails said. "I'm not sure if that's equality or communism, though."

Cream giggled, and her mother soon walked out with some hot chocolate, marshmallows, and some waffles with chocolate syrup. "Here you go, you two! A classic dinner with a slight twist on the chocolate syrup front."

Tails smiled. "The first thing that you ever cooked for me and Cream as a couple. This... means a lot."

Vanilla smiled. "I thought you'd like it. Now, please enjoy."

"That we shall," Tails nodded. "Thank you."

"Thank you!" Cream smiled, her mother smiling back one more time and nodding before leaving.

"Happy anniversary," Tails said to Cream. "I love you."

"Happy anniversary to you too, honey," Cream replied. "I love you too."

* * *

 **Aw... wasn't that nice? And another chapter is done! And I hope that you all enjoyed said chapter! After this will be a one-shot request to take care of, but after that, it's back to this and Foxhunt. I'll see you guys soon for the next thing that I post on here. Take care, and stay tuned.**


	19. Eyes Forward

A few days after Tails' first day of work, the yellow fox had woken up early one morning and turned to see Cream sleeping soundly. He checked the time and decided to disable the alarm on the clock, sneaking out of bed to head down the stairs and into the kitchen. He looked around the cupboards to find something to make, soon finding enough stuff to make a ham and cheese omelette.

"Ah... this'll be a good way to wake her up," he smiled to himself.

He focused on making the food, checking the time and seeing that it was getting closer to when they usually woke up. As the eggs melted, Tails made himself some coffee, making some decaf for Cream as well, knowing that both cups would cool down enough by the time that the food was ready.

Later on, the food was ready, and Tails had cut the omelette in half, getting a pair of plates as well as two forks. He managed to get both plates in his hands, leaving the drinks in the kitchen for the time being as he headed upstairs, soon reentering his and Cream's bedroom.

"Cream?" Tails said, gently nudging his fiancee's shoulder. "Wake up... made you breakfast..."

Cream yawned adorably, turning her head to see Tails. "Hello, my love..." She looked down at his hands, sitting up happily. "Omelettes!"

Tails chuckled, giving her a plate and fork. "Somebody's happy."

The rabbit giggled. "Thank you..." She leaned and kissed his cheek. "So... what's the occasion?"

"Well, I wanted to make up for forgetting our anniversary the other day, so I thought I'd make you some breakfast."

"Aw... thank you..." Cream smiled, then turned to see the clock and the time on it. "That usually goes off about now..."

"Oh, I turned the alarm off," Tails said. "I wanted you to get some sleep while I was making breakfast. I wanted to surprise you, I guess."

"That's so thoughtful of you," Cream said, eating some of the food. "Ooh... that's nice..."

Tails ate some too. "I should hope so. I made it," he winked.

Cream giggled, swallowing her bite. "You know, I have a surprise too."

"Oh? And what would that be?"

"Well, you remember you first day of work? Where my mum wanted to keep me behind and such?"

"Yeah," Tails nodded. "Is everything okay with her?"

"Oh, things are fine," Cream said. "So, uh... my mother was talking to me about possible wedding arrangements... as well as a baby shower..."

"And you guys want me to help out?" Tails asked. "I mean, I am the groom to be, marrying a beautiful bride."

Cream giggled. "Don't worry. You do get a say as far as the wedding goes. But with you having a new job, you might not have as much time off these days..."

"Well, I could always drop by Vanilla's Sweet Treats when I'm done and we could talk about it there?" he suggested, pausing to eat again. "Vector usually goes back there after work anyway, so he can drop me off and we can meet up."

"That is a pretty good plan," Cream smiled. "One thing that might add to it is that, well, I've been talking about it with Blaze and Tarin and so on. They've been super helpful."

"Ah, right," Tails nodded. "Of course they would be. Especially Tarin, I feel."

"Well, she and Wade aren't married, but if anybody should be before us, it's those two," Cream said. "Oh, just to think, our little girl will be born soon, and we'll set up play-dates with their kids and all sorts. And they'd look so cute in their little dresses for our wedding!"

"So, Wade and Tarin's kids are invited," Tails smirked. "Good to know."

"Ours are too, don't forget," Cream laughed. "That does raise one important question, though..."

"What would that be?" Tails asked.

"Well, do we have the wedding before or after our daughter is born?"

The yellow fox looked thoughtful. "Hmm... I think after. She might be born out of wedlock, but with how far along you are now, waiting until after she's born does seem better. It's a less stressful option for you, for one thing. Plus, you'd get to see her in a cute little dress."

"And you had me at the part about the dress," Cream smiled. "But you're okay with that being the plan?"

"I am," Tails nodded. "At the end of the day, that's the easiest option. As beautiful as you'd look in your wedding dress while we're still expecting, there's not long left, and weddings can take a long time to plan as it is."

"That's true," Cream nodded. "But with all of us together, you, me, and fellow friends... that'd make things a lot easier."

"It would indeed," Tails smiled, kissing Cream's cheek. "Want to carry this on downstairs?"

Cream nodded, smiling. The two picked up their plates, with Cream handing hers to Tails as she got out of bed. She managed to get on her own two feet, and Tails made sure that she made it down the stairs safely, getting a chair for her at the kitchen table before setting her food down, getting her a drink as well.

"Ooh, omelette and a coffee..." Cream smiled. "I made the right choice saying yes to you."

Tails blushed. "Well, I made the right choice asking you to marry me." He leaned over, taking her hand and kissing it. "I love you..."

"I love you too..." Cream smiled. "Also, I just noticed... we're both still wearing our pyjamas..."

Tails laughed. "Food now, shower and get dressed later."

"Ah, another reason why I love you. You make great food, and you use deductive reasoning to make smart choices such as eating the food with me," Cream giggled.

Tails smiled. "I should make you omelettes in bed more often if you're going to keep this up."

"What, is keeping your future wife and mother of your daughter happy going to be too difficult now?" Cream laughed.

"Ugh... I've been keeping you happy for so long, and now I have a smaller version of you to keep happy too so that she won't hate me... it's too much..." Tails joked. "Honestly, all I want is to keep you happy."

"I know..." Cream said. "How about we keep happy by eating, then showering so that you can go to work?"

"That's a good plan," Tails nodded.

So, the two focused on eating what was left of their breakfast, and they also had their drinks as well. Tails helped Cream up to their bathroom and they took a shower together, leaving to get all dressed up. Tails slipped his shoes on, ready to leave as he looked at the mailman. He nodded towards him as he went to his car, ready to drive off to work.

Inside the house, Cream had made herself some water to drink as she heard the doorbell. She went over and smiled at the mailman. "Ah, thank you."

"No trouble," he said, putting the bag next to her. "I think that this is the last one of these from the army too."

"Ah, that's good news," Cream smiled. "Thanks again. Take care!"

"You too!" The mailman smiled and left.

Cream looked down at the bag of mail, carefully dragging it over to the living room. She found a spot to put it, debating sorting the letters out on her own before deciding to leave the bag as it was. She took a break for a bit, turning on the TV and watching until she noticed that it was lunchtime. As she was about to pull out her phone, there was a knock on the door, followed by said door opening to reveal Vanilla.

"Hello, sweetie!" Vanilla smiled at her daughter, shutting the door behind her as she entered.

"Mama!" Cream smiled. "What brings you here?"

"Oh, you know that you're a bit too old to call me mama," Vanilla smiled.

"I don't know. Might give me some good practise when the baby's born," Cream smiled.

The older rabbit giggled. "I'm here because I bring lunch for you. I thought you might like it." She showed her bag full of food.

"Um... that's quite a lot of food for just two people..." Cream said.

"Well, it's not just going to be us," Vanilla said, going back over to the door.

She opened it up again to reveal Blaze, Tarin, and Amy, all walking in and greeting Cream with hugs and some cheek kisses. Cream smiled and hugged them back as best as she could before wincing a little bit, the other three helping her sit up in her seat.

"What brings you all here?" asked Cream.

"Group lunch, silly!" said Amy.

"Well, we could have had it at my mama's place," said Cream. "Oh, god, who's running the till?"

"Oh, don't you worry about a thing," Vanilla smiled. "Nobody is at the register at the moment. I decided to take the day off today. And since I own the place where I work, that means that it's not open."

"And... you did all of this for me?" Cream asked.

"Well," said Blaze, sitting next to her, "think about it. You hang out with one or two of us all of the time, right? But we've never really done anything quite like this."

Amy giggled. "And we have so much to discuss too!"

"Like... what?" Cream asked.

"Your baby shower!" Amy smiled. "Sorry! I got so excited!"

"It's fine," Vanilla smiled. "We know that you wouldn't want to talk about this in front of Tails, so while he's working and trying to think of ideas for the wedding, we thought that the baby shower part of it needed a mother's touch."

"If that's the case, then why are Blaze and Amy here?" Cream asked. "No offence, but Tarin and my mama are the only mothers here, and I'm going to be one any day now."

"We're here because we're your friends and we love and support you," said Blaze. "And also because, you know, your little baby is going to love auntie Blaze when she sees what I got her..."

"I'm sure that she'd love you anyway," Cream conceded. "You're adorable and your purring is cute."

Amy smiled. "To be fair, it is. She's got a point."

Cream giggled at that. "It's not that I don't appreciate all of this effort, but... where would we even hold it?"

"Tails told us that you're going to change up the spare room," said Tarin. "We could hold it there while he's at work."

"Yeah, but it's a spare room that we need to finish painting and decorating," the cream and orange rabbit replied.

"And that's why we're here to help," Amy said. "You'll be taking care of the baby, Tails will be busy with work... please, let us help to lighten the load a little bit. You and Tails have been through a lot already."

Cream smiled, nodding at Amy. "Okay..." she said, hugging her.

"Also," Amy said as they were hugging, "who's going to be the maid of honour?"

"I still haven't decided," said Cream. "I know that Sonic is going to be the best man, though."

"Just saying, I look good in lilac," Amy said, breaking the hug.

"I think lilac is a great colour for bridesmaid dresses," Blaze agreed, "but if I wore it, I'd just look naked. Wouldn't be the best look for a wedding."

"No, it wouldn't," Cream shook her head, chuckling. "All right, are we going to talk about my baby all day or are we going to eat... as well as talk about my baby all day?"

"Yes," Blaze giggled.

The others laughed at that before picking up their food and taking it over to the kitchen, sitting down around the table to eat. As they had their food, Vanilla made some drinks for them all, as she hadn't brought any with her beforehand. They all sat around the table and started talking as well as eating.

"So, what colour should the bedroom be?" asked Blaze.

"Well, we could make it a nice creamy colour, with some yellow here and there too," said Vanilla.

"Ooh, we need to get gifts for the baby too! And we need different types!" said Tarin. "I call dibs on clothes!"

"I vote for cuddly toys!" said Amy.

"Bed stuff!" said Vanilla.

"That leaves me with kids' shows," Blaze smiled, turning to look at Cream. "Which ones did you like as a kid?"

Cream smiled. "Well, there's this one called Mr. Tumble. It's very educational, from what I remember."

"Oh, I love that show!" said Tarin. "Jaime-May watches it all the time! She's getting really good at learning new words from it too."

"Aw..." said Cream. "I hope she's doing okay, by the way. And Wade too."

"Oh, they're fine," Tarin smiled. "But I appreciate the good thoughts about them."

Cream giggled. "Also, doesn't it ruin the point of a surprise baby shower if I know how it's going to go?"

"In some ways, yeah, but you haven't really had time to plan this," said Blaze. "We just want to help you out, is all."

"I know..." Cream smiled. "Oh, and Blaze? Make sure that it definitely is Mr. Tumble that you get for me."

"You use to love that as a kid," Vanilla smiled at her daughter. "Oh, I remember when you use to do the sign language all the time!"

Cream giggled. "Maybe your granddaughter will be the same way?"

"I hope so!" Vanilla smiled. "So... you really don't mind all of this help from us? With the baby shower and your room and such?"

"Not at all," said Cream. "I mean, as long as I'm not doing any of the heavy lifting, I'm perfectly fine."

"Well, we could always do it now," said Tarin. "Paint the room, I mean."

"I'd like that," Cream smiled. "Honestly, I would. But there'd be no point. We need to move stuff around in that room first, and then we have to get the paint we want, and I'd have to run some of that through Tails, even though I'm sure that he'd be fine with it, and... ooh, that's a lot to take in."

"Well, you could call him," said Blaze.

"I... don't know why I didn't think of that," said the cream and orange rabbit, getting her phone out. "It should be time for one of his breaks anyway, or something of the sort. I'll admit, I don't know exactly how it works with his new job." She typed the number, and didn't have to wait long. "Hi, baby!" she said.

"Oh, hello," Tails smiled. "To what do I owe the pleasure of such an unexpected call?"

"Well, my mother came around with some of our friends, and they're going to help move some stuff around the room for the baby shower and stuff," Cream said, putting the phone on speaker. "If... if that's okay..."

"Are you kidding? That's great," Tails said. "That's going to be super helpful to us. Not to mention that, since they're moving it around, any things that we get for the baby shower could come in useful and we could just get rid of old stuff from that room!"

"Good thinking there, fox boy," Blaze giggled.

"Hi, Blaze! Hi, other girls!" Tails said. "So, what other plans are there?"

Cream smiled. "Well, they want to paint the room as well. They were thinking a mix of cream and yellow, like us."

"Ooh... I like that..." said Tails. "Could make the room look nice and bright. All right... the girls have my permission to do so. Because, you know, they totally needed that before," he chuckled lightly. "You girls know that I'm kidding, right?"

"We know," said Tarin.

"Cool," said Tails. "So, when are you girls thinking about starting?"

"We were thinking the earlier the better," said Amy. "We'll do all of the work while Cream rests up and listens to us do all of the work."

Tails chuckled again. "Once again, that sounds like a good plan. All right, I've got a few more hours to kill over here before coming, so that should give you enough time to get all of the work done. And if not, I can always help with the finishing touches when I get back... wait..."

"What is it?" asked Cream, noticing Tails' voice tone change.

"I... I need to go. We just had an unexpected guest drop by." Tails sighed. "It's Conway."

"That's not good..." said Cream, turning the phone's speaker off and putting it back to her ear. "All right, you deal with that, okay? And I know that it won't be easy for you, but please... try to treat him like you would anyone else that goes to the shelter, okay?"

"I... I will..." Tails said. "I love you..."

"I love you too..." Cream replied. She hanged up, as did Tails, and turned to see the others looking at her. "So... uh... you girls get to work."

* * *

 **Over at the veterans' shelter, thirty minutes earlier...**

Tails and Vector were panting heavily after playing a basketball game against each other, with some of their other friends stopping by to join the game. Vector's side had won, even though nobody really counted the scores, and the two were on their way to the lunch hall to get some food, as it was getting to be that time.

The two went and got some food, sitting with Hooper and Sonic as well. They all laughed and shared some stories as they ate, with Vector finished sooner to help serve some food to the other veterans, with the other three Mobians soon finishing their own grub as well.

"You know," said Tails as they took their plates to clean them, "I've been having a good time helping people here."

"Well, you've been doing a good job at it too," Hooper smiled. "It's nice to have more hands on deck to help."

Sonic nodded. "Agreed. It's good to help some people who got hurt get back on their feet. In some cases, that's more metaphorically speaking..."

"I heard that!" said a veteran in a wheelchair.

"I meant it in the best way!" said Sonic.

"I know you did!"

Tails chuckled at that. "The therapy session is after this, right?"

"It is, yeah," Hooper said. "We've got some folks who didn't get to talk last time. Are you going to oversee it?"

"May as well," Tails said. "I don't have a lot else to do today."

The others all agreed with that sentiment, and soon they'd finished cleaning their dishes. They took a little bit of a break as they still had some time after eating lunch, even going to check on some of the newcomers to help them around until Tails got a call on his phone, smiling as he saw that it was Cream.

The conversation was almost at an end, and Tails chuckled. "Once again, that sounds like a good plan. All right, I've got a few more hours to kill over here before coming, so that should give you enough time to get all of the work done." He heard a door opening, ignoring it for now. "And if not, I can always help with the finishing touches when I get back... wait..." He looked closer as he heard footsteps. He looked up to see Tyson Conway, shaking his head and ending his phone conversation with Cream before turning to the man who walked in. "Conway."

"Tails," the yellow fox's former commander said. "It's... it's good to see you."

Tails shook his head. "What brings you out here?"

"Well, I retired the same as the rest of you after the fight with FATE was over," said Conway. "It took me a little while, but I am a civilian now. And also, a veteran."

"Yeah, but... well, aren't there any shelters near where you live?" Tails asked.

"There actually isn't," said Conway. "I heard that you and some of the others were working here now. You guys need all the help that you can get, from what I know."

"Who told you about this place?" Tails asked.

"Vector did," Conway answered. "And you can ask him yourself if you don't believe me."

"No, I do," Tails smiled. "And... well, I guess that I can't hate you forever after what happened. Especially since it was my plan that got Scourge killed."

"Yes..." said Conway. "But it was my plan that got mot of my old soldiers to turn to my brother's side...

Tails' eyebrows perked up. "Care to elaborate on that?"

"You know the mission I mean," said the colonel. "You... you remember when we were clearing out any remaining bases? And... I killed that one fellow with the file?"

"Yeah?"

Conway nodded. "He... he was another former soldier of mine. One that I burned. That file... that held my record as a colonel, everything good and bad that I did. The failed mission with my soldiers dying and me telling them not to fall back... that's the worst crime on that list. I mostly came here to tell you that. To be honest with you, in a way that I hadn't been really honest before."

Tails nodded. "That... that's pretty big. But I appreciate your honesty, sir. I mean, Tyson."

Conway chuckled. "Thank you. And, listen, I don't blame you for not wanting to have me around, but... I could always help if you need it."

"That's not up to me," Tails shrugged. "That's up to you, really. We do have a therapy session soon, so if you want to sit in and listen to some stories, you're more than welcome to."

"I'd like that," said Conway. "Thank you. Again."

"You're welcome." Tails checked his phone for the time. "All right, time to get to work."

* * *

 **And that's another one of these all done and so on! I hope that you're all enjoying it, as there's not long left to go. I'll see you soon for more Foxhunt, more of this, and more of other stuff. Maybe. Until then, take care, and stay tuned.**


	20. Design Choices

"All right, good hustle, guys," Tails smiled as he watched over some of the veterans playing basketball. "Time's up. Great work from all involved."

Hooper, who was watched with Tails, smiled at the yellow fox. "You seem like you're in a good mood today."

"Well, I've got to stay chipper," Tails shrugged. "We're supposed to be painting the room today. And we're having the baby shower soon too, so we need space in the spare room to move the stuff around and turn it into our daughter's bedroom... it's going to be a lot."

"I thought that was handled already?" asked Hooper.

"The painting was, and we got some stuff moved out, but we need room for the baby's other stuff too. We've got some old furniture that needs going, so I could donate it to here, right?"

"Yes, you could," Vector said, walking over. "Why didn't you think about that before?"

Tails sighed. "Could I be honest?"

"I don't think that I've even known you not to be."

Tails shook his head. "I guess that I just forgot. I was so focused on trying to get my hands on some new stuff that I didn't know what to do with the old stuff. Having a baby is difficult, and I'm not the one who has to push it out of me when it's all said and done."

"Well, the girls painted the room, right?" Vector asked.

Tails nodded. "Yeah."

The green crocodile smiled. "You're still on the clock. You have a mission ahead of you. Drive back to your place and get the furniture."

"My car's not big enough to fit it," Tails said.

"You can take my truck," said Vector, handing over his keys. "That should have enough room. It's got ropes and stuff to tie it down too, so nothing should fall off. Maybe."

"Ah, there's your signature confidence showing through," Tails said. "I'll bring back some lunch when I return."

"I'll come with you to help load the stuff up," said Hooper. "It'd just seem wrong having a pregnant lady lugging all that weight around. By weight I mean the furniture, not the pregnancy weight."

"Good thing," Tails smirked. "All right, let's head off."

The fox and the cat left the building, getting into Vector's truck and driving back over to Tails' home. Tails opened the door, knowing that Cream left it unlocked, and smiled as he saw her asleep on the couch. He walked over to her and kissed her softly, spotting Blaze in his peripheral vision over in the kitchen.

"Hi, sweetie," he said.

"Hey..." Cream replied as she slowly awoke. "What time is it?"

"It's half past one," said Tails.

"That's early... let me go to bed..."

"In the afternoon," Hooper clarified.

"Oh..." Cream's stomach growled. "Aw... I missed lunch... or maybe I had it and went back to sleep?"

Tails looked and saw a leftover wrapper from a cookie bag. "Yep, the second one."

"So, what are you doing back here?" Cream asked.

"Well, since the baby shower is soon, and we have some more stuff that needs moving from the spare room... we're going to take that extra stuff down to the shelter. See who might need what and such," Tails said.

"Ooh... that's a good plan..." said Cream. "And because of the baby shower soon, that means you can more the stuff out of the spare room and take it to the shelter..."

"I... I just said that..." Tails chuckled.

Blaze, who was in the kitchen, piped up. "He has a point!"

Cream pouted. "I'm pregnant and I just woke up. Leave me alone." She smiled and kissed her fiance. "You get that stuff moving, strong man."

Tails smiled. "Come on, Hooper. Let's go."

"Right behind you," the grey cat said.

Tails and Hooper wasted little time, going upstairs to what would soon be Tails and Cream's daughter's room. A fair while later, the truck was loaded up with old chairs, dressers, a wardrobe, and other things that they were planning on getting rid of anyway, making sure that it was all tied down onto the bed of the truck.

"All right, that's about all of it," said Tails. "Man... that was a lot more than I thought."

Cream giggled. "I like how we went from the girls moving things around to paint them to you just getting rid of the old stuff altogether."

"It's not really getting rid of it, technically," Hooper said. "If it's going to the vets' shelter, it's going to be pretty useful to people who need them."

"My apologies," Cream said. "All right, you boys go back to work."

"You going to be okay here?" Tails asked.

"I'll be fine..." Cream said. "Oh, I did remember, though... you need to pick up that old crib from my mum's shop for the baby."

"Ah, I felt like I was forgetting something," Tails said. "It had to stay there until we moved the stuff out. I'll get it on the way back."

"Good. Now, you go and get your handsome self back to work," Cream smiled.

"And what about me?" Hooper asked.

"You get yourself back to work," Cream giggled. "Thanks for moving all of that stuff out."

"No problem," Tails said. He kissed Cream gently and smiled. "See you when I get back."

The cream and orange rabbit giggled again, kissing him back before waving. Tails and Hooper got back into Vector's truck, starting it back up and heading back to the shelter, stopping to pick up some food along the way as promised before getting back to the shelter proper.

"Grub's up," Tails said as he saw Vector waiting. "In more ways than one, it would seem."

"That's a lot more than I thought that there'd be," said Vector. "Good thing that we've got so many people helping out here."

On cue, several soldiers came out, and Tails untied the furniture from the truck for them. He, Hooper, and Vector also stepped in to help, and they got to the last item to carry back, which was a wardrobe. The two-tailed fox was left alone with it, as the others were finishing putting stuff up inside, and he looked around, sighing.

"I can't do this one on my own, you know," he said.

Another pair of hands grabbed the wardrobe from the other side. "Allow me."

Tails turned his head to see Sonic. "Oh, hey," he said.

Sonic smiled. "I'd say sorry I'm late, but the hours are sort of free, right?"

"Usually, but try not to make it a habit," Tails said. "You going to help me with this?"

"Hell yeah," Sonic nodded.

The blue hedgehog and the yellow fox picked up the wardrobe, both grunting with effort as they carried it into the shelter. After setting it down, Vector was directing traffic, looking and pointing to where it could go. Some other workers found a room for it, putting it away.

"All right, good going there," said Sonic.

Tails smiled. "Thanks for coming over to help."

"Yeah, well, better late than never," Sonic smiled. "Another reason I was late was because I just wanted to spend a bit more time with Amy. With all that was going on, I felt like I hadn't seen her much lately."

"Hey, I get it," Tails said. "If I weren't offered this job, I would have honestly been perfectly fine with just staying home with Cream all day."

"Well, we don't all have that luxury," said Vector. "We have a job to do. So... let's do it."

Tails and Sonic chuckled, going back inside the building proper. They went through the rest of their day as normal, going to therapy sessions, hanging out with others, and making sure that everyone got settled in, especially those that would stay at the shelter.

"Well, it looks like it's about time to head out," Tails said, checking on the clock.

"You did good work today," said Vector. "You stopping by Vanilla's Sweet Treats on your way back?"

"I don't have much of a choice," said Tails. "I've got to pick up the baby's crib from there anyway. Now the we have room at home, it feels like it just makes sense."

"Well, I've got to stop by with you. I'll follow you there."

"What would be the point?" Tails chuckled. "You already know the way back there on your own. You don't need to follow me."

"Ha, nice one," Vector said drily. "Get to your car, soldier."

Tails chuckled, heading over to his car and starting it up. Vector started his truck up as well, and they both started driving in their miniature makeshift convoy. Soon, they arrived at Vanilla's Sweet Treats, both finding good spots to park at before heading into the shop.

"Ah, there you both are!" Vanilla smiled as they both came through the front door. "Tails, the crib is right here for you." She lifted it from behind the counter.

"Oh, thanks," Tails said. "You don't mind if I take some food to go too, do you?"

"Not as long as you mind waiting a little bit," said Vanilla. "Vector, did you bring it?"

Vector lifted a bag that he had with him. "I did indeed."

Tails looked back and forth between the two. "What is going on here?"

Vanilla got out from behind the counter. "Sit down. We need to talk."

"Am... am I in trouble?" Tails asked.

"No, not at all," Vanilla said.

Vector reached into the bag, pulling out several pieces of paper and laying them on the table. "Tails... we have a little mission for you..."

"What could it be?" Tails asked, still confused.

"We need your help in setting up your wedding," said Vector.

Tails sighed in relief. "Guys, we're going to wait until the baby's born first. After that, we'll make the major plans."

"That's a fair stance," Vanilla nodded. "But have you and Cream ever actually talked about what you want your wedding to be like?"

Tails opened his mouth, then shut it. "Actually, we haven't. We've been so busy that we never really had the time." He shook his head. "Shouldn't Cream know about this too?"

"My, Tails, I thought that you knew my daughter better than that," Vanilla giggled. "She does like surprises, no?"

"She really does," Tails said. "Although, while I doubt that bringing back food from here is much of a surprise, it is always nice to see her face light up."

"Maybe she's just really hungry because she can't move around much and can't make her own food as a result?" Vector asked.

"Yeah, fair..." the two-tailed fox agreed. "All right, so, what's next here? What exactly is the plan?"

"Well, we're going to pick out some basic colours for the wedding, among other plans, and we're going to help you organise it, of course!" said Vanilla.

Vector smiled. "But you can't tell Cream a word of this."

"Oh, of course," Tails said. "I'll keep it a secret."

"Well, the first thing that you need is the date, but you'll save that for after the baby's born, right?" asked Vector.

"Yeah, we're saving that for later," Tails nodded. "What's next?"

"Well, we need some good colours for the wedding," said Vector. "A nice theme to go with everything."

"I'd say cream and yellow, but we just had our future daughter's bedroom painted that colour," Tails replied. "It'd be weird to match it with that."

"White?"

"Hmm... too basic, I think," Tails said. "Something orange? Or maybe brighter, like purple and pink?"

"All right, just keep those in mind," said Vanilla. "We can call in some other folks to help to decide."

"Oh, yeah, good point," Tails replied, smiling. "Well, say that's the sort of theme of the wedding, even though we don't really have a theme, that leaves us with... what, exactly?"

"Well, how would you like the floor to look?" asked Vector. "Is the wedding going to be indoors our outdoors?"

"Indoors," Tails said. "As for the floor... some laminated wooden panels. A nice dark brown sort of affair."

"It'd look pretty nice there too," smiled Vanilla. "All right, what about the dress code?"

"Black tie optional, but suits mandatory," Tails said.

"What about the colours for them?" asked Vector.

"Hmm... well, the suit colours don't bother me. But if we're talking the maids' dresses... something creamy to fit with, you know, the person who I'm marrying."

"Anything else?"

"Nope, that'll about do it," said Tails.

"All right, that leaves seating arrangements," said Vector.

"Well, I was thinking about this one a bit, actually."

"Oh?" Vanilla raised and eyebrow.

"Yeah," said the yellow fox. "What if Vector, Sonic, and some of my fellow members from the army sit more on one side? Those more familiar with Cream could sit on the other side?"

"That's not a terrible arrangement," said the cream and orange rabbit mother. "You don't mind being apart from me?"

"For the happiness of two other people? Not at all," Vector smiled.

Tails chuckled. "What's next up?"

"Catering," said Vector. "What'll be on the menu?"

"Ah, well, let's start with the hors d'oeuvres," Tails said. "Little sweet stuff, as brought to us by Vanilla's Sweet Treats?"

Vanilla giggled. "I'll see what I can do..."

Tails chuckled. "As for main meals... man, that's where I struggle. Trying to come up with wedding appropriate food. Maybe spaghetti? Ah, I don't want something that could spill accidentally."

"I'll take care of that aspect," said Vanilla. "What about drinks?"

"We'll allow champagne," Tails said. "Obviously, everyone going there will be drinking age... but what would that mean for Taryn and Wade?"

"Oh, Cream talks about those a lot," Vanilla smiled. "She speaks highly of them. They seem nice."

"Are they invited?" Vector asked.

"They are. There's a lot of invitations to hand out too..." Tails sighed.

"I'll take care of that part," Vector nodded.

"Now, the last thing... the cake," Vanilla said.

"Ooh... well, multiple ties, at least five... I was thinking a yellow icing, with the usual sponge inside, some strawberry jam, and frosty cream," Tails said.

"You'e putting in one heck of a cake order," Vector chuckled.

Tails shrugged. "I remember seeing something similar, a few days before I popped the question to Cream. I was out on my own at the time, and I remember looking at that cake, thinking that with a few changes, that'd be perfect for my wedding."

"All right, that's about it," said Vanilla.

"Really?" Tails asked. "What about things like my suit? And Cream's dress?"

Vector chuckled. "You and I will go and sort out your suit another day. Vanilla will handle the dress situation."

"I was thinking on the same day as the baby shower," Vanilla smiled. "I have a plan too. I be one of the first to give my gift, but I'll make the excuse that need to come back to work here. Which is true, as I will probably need to do that, since it'll be a weekend and I'll be swamped, but I'll also be looking for wedding dresses online while I work."

"Good luck finding the time to do that," said Tails.

"And since a baby shower is a women's exclusive club, you and I will be out in the town, looking for the perfect suit to fit you," said Vector.

Tails smiled. "I'm looking forward to that part. It'd be nice to try something new. I would wear the suit that I wore when I proposed to her, but... I think that it's time for something different."

"Speaking of clothes, I did just remember something," Vanilla said, getting up and quickly going behind her counter and through the back door. She soon returned with a bag in her hand. "When you take the crib back home, take these too. They're bigger maternity clothes for Cream, since she is getting closer now."

"That's a good idea," Tails smiled. "I'll do just that." He sighed and checked his watch. "Ooh... I'd best get home. Cream might get suspicious. Or she could still be asleep. She's been pretty tired lately."

"Well, try to keep her awake," said Vanilla. "I want her bright-eyed and bushy-tailed for the baby shower!"

"I'm usually the one with the bushy tail, but sure," the two-tailed fox smirked. "All right, I'll see you guys later."

"You may as well take some food with you if you're going back," said Vanilla.

"Ah, I like your way of thinking," Tails said. As he got up to leave, he got a call on his phone. He sat where he was as Vector and Vanilla went behind the counter. "Hello?"

"Hey, Tails," said Blaze's voice on the other end. "Is everything okay? You seem a bit late."

"Oh, yeah, uh... was just talking over some stuff with Vanilla," Tails said.

"What kind of stuff? I thought that you only went over there to get a crib? It shouldn't take you that long."

"It's... something that I can't really talk about," Tails said.

"Cream's still asleep. You can tell me," said Blaze.

"All right... are you any good at keeping a secret?"

Blaze gasped. "Tails, I swear to god, if you did anything to hurt Cream-"

"No, it's nothing like that," the yellow fox chuckled. "I promise."

"Then what is it like?"

Tails sighed. "I was sorting out our wedding with Vanilla and Vector..."

"Oh? How much of it?" Blaze asked.

"Pretty much all of it, from the colour scheme to the seating arrangements to the cake... it did drag on a little bit, but I think that that was a good basic idea."

"What about the location?"

Tails cursed at himself. "I know that it'll be indoors. If there's enough room at the shelter, that'd be nice. The nearest church is pretty far away from here, so... the shelter seems the best place."

"Eh, maybe Vector will have the same idea as you," Blaze giggled. "All right, sorry for sounding so accusatory. You're on your way, right?"

"Yeah, just about to get into my car and come back. I won't take too long."

"All right. I'll see you when you get here."

"Sure," said Tails. "Oh, and in case I keep forgetting to say it, or I've just not said it enough... thanks a lot for helping Cream out when I'm not around."

"No problem," Blaze smiled. "You can thank me more properly with food."

"Is your sense of smell that good?" the yellow fox chuckled.

"That and you're just now leaving Vanilla's shop. I put two and two together." Blaze giggled again. "See you later."

Tails said his goodbye too, and both Mobians ended the call. Tails waved goodbye to Vanilla and Vector too before leaving the shop proper, going to his car and putting the crib in the back seat before hopping in to drive. He started the car up, and before he knew it, he made it back home quickly.

He parked the car out front, going over to the door and opening it, smiling at Blaze and handing her a bag of food. "Something to take home with you. Consider it some sort of a reward for looking after Cream so much."

Blaze smiled and hugged the yellow fox, who hugged back. "Thank you, Tails. I'll see you when I see you."

Tails nodded, seeing Blaze out before going over to Cream's sleeping form. "Hey, sleepyhead..."

Cream yawned in her sleep, then sniffed a bit. "Mmm... food?" She woke up slowly. "Hey, Tails... where's Blaze?"

Tails smiled. "She just left, actually. I'm back home now, with food."

Cream yawned. "Hmm... sounds good, but... we can save that for later... I'm sleepy still..."

Tails chuckled and nodded, turning her head to kiss her. She gently kissed back and smiled before the kiss broke. "I love you..." Tails said.

"I love you too..." Cream nuzzled her head against him. "Tails?"

"Yeah?"

The cream and orange rabbit yawned. "Sleep with me on the couch?"

The yellow fox smiled. "Sure thing."

He put the food on a bedside table, then kicked off his shoes as he joined Cream on the couch. He made sure that the pillows were properly sorted under their heads, and pulled the blanket up over them. He hugged Cream close, reaching down to slowly rub her bump before feeling Cream slowly slump in his arms. Tails, lulled by his fiancee's snoozing, soon joined her.

* * *

 **And another one of these is done and dusted. It's hard to believe that I'm getting so close to the end now. I'll see you soon for the next thing that I wind up writing, and I hope that you enjoyed this. Until next time, take care, and stay tuned.**


	21. Keep On Giving

Tails was in the kitchen of his and Cream's house, sizzling some food on a pan. He had some bacon, and had just finished cooking some sausages too. It was breakfast time, after all, and he was looking forward to going to work while Cream had her baby shower.

"Man, she's going to love this," Tails smiled to himself. He checked the time and smile. "Almost nine in the morning. Time to take the breakfast up to her."

"Take the breakfast up to who?" Cream asked, walking into the kitchen and rubbing her eyes.

Tails smiled. "You. I forgot that you slept on the couch last night. And that I slept there with you."

Cream giggled, walking over and kissing Tails' cheek. "Mmm... bacon and sausages?"

"In sandwiches," Tails chuckled. "I would have made scrambled eggs, but I forgot to pick some up on my way home back from work yesterday."

"Oh, it'll be fine," Cream insisted. "And besides, you can get some on your way back home today."

"True," the yellow fox smiled. "For now, let's enjoy this breakfast that I stayed up for the past ten minutes to make."

Cream playfully shook her head before kissing Tails' lips. Tails kissed back and helped Cream to her seat before getting the food ready. He added some cheese slices to the food too, as well as some tomato ketchup to add to it, and he made some drinks of coffee for them both too, making Cream's decaf.

"So, where is the baby shower going to be?" asked Tails.

"Here, in the living room, I'm thinking," Cream said.

"It must be exciting getting so many presents when our baby is so close to arriving," Tails smiled.

Cream giggled. "Yeah... it'll be worth it, though." She then sighed. "I've done with all the scans, so it's just the waiting that's going to get the best of me, I think."

"Well, you shouldn't let it," said Tails. "We've waited a while, so it shouldn't be that much longer until she arrives. Our little girl..."

"Who shall remain nameless," Cream giggled. "I like to think that the waiting will be worth it. The baby, the wedding... so much to work on."

"Then we'll work on it together," Tails smiled, holding Cream's hand. "I love you."

"I love you too..." Cream said. "Now, I think that we should eat up before you have to go to work."

Tails smiled. "I like that plan."

The two shared some more laughter with each other before finishing their breakfast. Cream saw Tails out the door, and the two shared another kiss with each other before the two-tailed fox left for work. He blew her another kiss as he started to drive away, waving at her as his wheels carved through the road on the way to his workplace.

He soon found the car park of said workplace, finding a spot to park in and killing the engine to the car before getting out. He lightly cracked his neck before heading into the building, and before even making it properly into the building, he heard some commotion going on inside. Curiously, he went in and saw several people talking at each other, with Conway in the centre of it.

"How could you lie to us like that?" Sonic asked. "We spend all of that time under your rule, and we gave you the benefit of the doubt, all for a fucking lie?"

"I told you, I didn't think that it was important at the time!" said Conway.

"Bullshit, it wasn't important!" said Knuckles angrily. He turned his head as he caught a glimpse of Tails. "Ah, good. You're here."

"What the hell is going on?" Tails asked. "This shelter isn't used for arguing with our former military leader. It's for, you know, helping other veterans who also went through bad stuff."

"It's also the place where this guy told the truth to us," said Sonic. "Tell him, Conway. Tell him exactly what you told us."

Conway sighed, scratching his head. "So... do you by any chance recall those files from when we were taking out the rest of my brother's bases?"

"Yeah..."

"I... uh... I sort of admitted it before, but that was a lot of my past on those files," said Conway. "A past that I was trying to get away from. That's a war criminal record. Not just for my acts with old regimens, but for other things that I did long before those."

Vector shook his head. "I can't believe this. I stood alongside you for so long. This? This is not how I wanted today to start."

Tails stepped in. "Will you guys pack it in?"

"Tails, you can't be on this ass-hole's side, right?" Sonic asked.

"I'm not," said Tails. "Believe me, I resent him as much as the rest of you do for what he did. But part of the reason why he's here is to make up for those misdeeds. And for the mistakes that he made before that. I don't think that he was lying to any of us, since those files did tell us a lot about him before he even said a word in regards to them. He admitted to the botched mission. Unless you all forget, I organised a botched mission too. The one that got Hooper free from torture, the one that sent Scourge in to torture him, the one that took down Darius' bases, and the one that got Scourge, and many other other soldiers, killed." He then walked over to Conway. "My point is, sir... you are human. We all are, in a manner of speaking. You made mistakes. Everyone here has messed things up before, no? You could all make the argument that you joined the army to help people in the first place, whether it was countrymen and women, your family, your friends, and so on. Coming to this shelter and helping people that are less fortunate than we were during the war is the next best thing for us all to do. So, please, I get that you're frustrated at Conway, but he is trying to help now. Heck, for the whole time that he's been here, nobody had a damn problem with him until today, because... he told the truth that we already sort of knew anyway. I'm sorry, but that's not enough of a reason to hate him."

Knuckles huffed lightly. "I still don't like this situation." He walked over to Conway. "You'd better pull your weight around here." He pushed his shoulder as he walked past him.

Sonic went over to Tails. "How could you take his side like that?"

"Because he told me already what was on that file," said Tails. "I appreciated that honesty. He told me how bad it was, and that the mission with him failing to call his soldiers back is his worst crime. That's why he's here. Why we're all here."

"You knew?"

"Yes, I knew," Tails said. "But only because he told me. We all suspected something like that anyway. Don't get me wrong, as it doesn't make me any less disappointed about it than you or any of the others."

"I mean... I guess that you're right about that," Sonic said. "And you were right earlier too. He is actually being helpful around here. Hell, there's a good chance that most of the soldiers here are only here because of what he might have put them through."

"I don't like to think of it that way, but that does add more meaning to him helping out here," Tails sighed. "Anyway, we have a day of work to get to. So, you know, let's not argue about what happened before. It was bad, and we all know that it was bad. Let's just leave it at that."

Sonic nodded. "Yeah, you're right. I'm sorry, man."

"Whatever, dude. It's fine. Let's just get to work, okay?"

"Got it."

* * *

 **Meanwhile, with Cream...**

The cream and orange rabbit in question was sitting on her couch, watching some TV. She kept checking the time every now and then as she waited patiently, both excited and anxious for the baby shower. She smiled a bit to herself as she looked down at her pregnant stomach.

"Oh, man... this is going to be a big day," she said to herself. "Your grandma and some of my friends are coming over, and you're going to get a lot of presents and a lot of love... and just to think, in a little while, you'll be able to enjoy it all... I can't wait to welcome you into the world... to see the look on your father's face when you're born..." She sniffled a bit, then wiped her eyes. "I need to calm myself down..." She grabbed a tissue to wipe her eyes, then the doorbell rang. "Come in!" she called.

Sure enough, her mother opened the door, being followed by Blaze, Tarin, and Amy, as well as some other friends that Cream had met in the past, all with bags full of gifts, all varying in size and shape. Cream turned off her TV and managed to move off of her couch, being helped up by her mother to get to her feet before giving her friends a group hug.

"Thanks for coming, you guys," she said.

"Oh, it's no issue," said Blaze. "After all, we planned for this. It would have just been rude if we didn't show up."

"Are we still holding this in your bedroom?" Amy asked.

"Well, that was the plan," said Cream. "Unfortunately, said plan might have to take place down here instead. My movement skills haven't been the best lately. Goodness, I've practically been couch-bound during my pregnancy."

"You lazy girl," Amy joked.

Cream smiled and shook her head. "For that one, you get to go first with your gift. Remember, you had cuddly toys to give out."

"That is true, so... I got a mix," Amy said. "I got some smaller ones, and one big one for her."

Cream nodded and reached for the smaller ones first. She opened up the presents, and smiled at what appeared to be a small pair of matching baby fox and rabbit teddies. She then motioned for the bigger one, which Amy handed over to her, smiling.

"Remember, I said that I got a mix, so..."

Cream smiled. "It's fine." She opened up the present and giggled. "Aw... it's a giant penguin, but a baby penguin. So big and fluffy!"

"I used to have something similar when I was a little baby, so I figured that it'd be good for your future cutie," Amy smiled.

"Aw, thank you so much," Cream said, kissing Amy's cheek. "These are so adorable..."

"I'm glad that you like them," Amy smiled. "Where should I put them? Do want me to just take them straight upstairs?"

"Just find a space down here that's out of the way for now," Cream said. "I'll get my fluffier half to sort them out when he gets back home."

"Are you sure?" asked Amy. "I really don't mind."

"It's fine," Cream smiled. "And besides, I want Tails to see the gifts up close and personal for himself when he gets home."

"Fair enough," the pink hedgehog nodded.

"Me next!" said Tarin.

"If I remember correctly, you were on clothes duty," Vanilla pointed out.

"That's true, I was," nodded Tarin, reaching for her bag and handing it over to Cream. "Now, I hope that this will all be to your liking. I dress little Jaime-May by myself, so these should be good."

Cream checked inside the bag, finding some cute pairs of clothes. "Aw... I like these light blue ones!"

"Those are pyjamas," Tarin said. "Which will probably be your daughter's main clothes to wear since she'll be spending most her time sleeping."

Cream smiled and kept cycling through them all and finding other clothing pairs. There was a Minnie Mouse pair, a pink floral design, and a couple of others that were new, as well as what appeared to be not as expensive clothes, but they still looked adorable anyway.

"Some of those are old clothes of Jaime-May's that she got too big for," Tarin explained.

"Ah, that makes sense," said Cream. "I haven't seen her in a fair few of these. Maybe the reason why is because she grew out of them so quickly." She gave Tarin a hug and kissed her cheek. "Thank you. I'm sure that she's going to love these."

Tarin giggled. "She will. I have a good feeling."

Cream smiled back. "Who's going to go next?"

Blaze raised her hand. "Future godmother here! I want to go!"

"Well, looks like we're saving the best until last, huh, mama?" Cream winked.

"Very funny," Blaze said, cracking a smile. "Still true, though."

She then handed over her present, which was, as promised, some kids shows in DVD and Blu-Ray collections. Cream recognised Mr. Tumble, as the purple cat had promised to get in the first place, as well as some older shows that Cream enjoyed as a kid too, giggling.

"Aw... Teletubbies, Rugrats, and... Buffy The Vampire Slayer?" Cream cocked an eyebrow before smiling. "We'll save that for later."

"Hey, the kid will need a good fictional role model as well as two great real life ones in her parents," Blaze smiled. "This way, she can learn other languages, how to be polite, and all of that other stuff on one end, and then when she's old enough, she'll learn to kick some ass."

Cream laughed. "Once again, it's not that I don't like it. I appreciate it. Thank you." She reached for a hug, and Blaze returned said hug in kind.

"What are friends for?" Blaze replied as the hug broke.

Vanilla then took a sharp breath. "Looks like I'm the last one to go, then."

"Like Cream said, we're saving the best until last," Amy smiled.

Vanilla nodded. "It was bed stuff that I was tasked with, so..."

She handed her present over to her near-identical daughter. Cream took the bag from Vanilla and inside found a smaller plastic bag which was zipped up, the contents inside of said bag being folded neatly so that she couldn't make them out. She opened up the sealed up bag and took out what was inside.

"I tried to think of the best thing to buy that would look nice," Vanilla said, stopping Cream from unravelling the gift, "but I instead found that the best gift in this case isn't paid for, but passed on."

Cream seemed a bit confused at that, but she then saw her cream and orange mother give her a slight nod, so she opened up the cloth. Cream's eyes almost caused a waterfall over her face, and she got up and reached over to hug her mother right away.

"Oh, mama... thank you so much..." Cream said.

Vanilla, tearing up too, sniffled as she hugged back. "I wanted it to be something special..."

"What is it?" asked Blaze.

Cream hugged her mother for a few more seconds before breaking the embrace. "These were the sheets that I slept in when I was first born. My mama made them especially for me, because... well, we didn't have a lot when we first started, but we had enough."

"I scrambled the money together for all of the materials that I needed," Vanilla said. "I like to think that it paid off..."

"Could we please see it?" Blaze asked.

"I don't know," Cream lightly teased. "You know what happens to cats who get overly curious, right?"

The purple cat lightly shook her head. "Just show us."

Cream nodded, showing a blanket which had a bright sunshiny day on one side, and a sparkling moonlit midnight on the other. The sunny side was set against a blue sky, with depictions of flowers growing all around, where as the night side had extra shine added to the stars and the moonlight reflecting off of the dark green grass that was etched into the fabric.

"Oh, wow..." Tarin said. "That's... beautiful..."

Vanilla smiled. "Thank you. I made it because... well, it was hard getting Cream to sleep sometimes, so I'd wrap her up in this blanket, and I'd sing her a lullaby that I made up to help her get to sleep. It worked every time."

"Do you remember how the lullaby went, mama?" Cream asked.

Vanilla smiled. "Of course I do." She cleared her throat. "It's been a while since I've had to sing it, though."

"I'm sure that it'll sound lovely regardless," Amy said, encouraging the mother rabbit. "Please... we'd like to hear it..."

Vanilla smiled again, nodding at Cream. "I'll try my best." She then cleared her throat. "There are no monsters in the dark, my sweet, don't pay mind to the dread. You stay in here where it's safe and rest your little head. You're my precious little child, and I'm glad that you're mine to keep. Good things will wait for you tomorrow when you wake from your sleep."

Amy smiled. "That was lovely..."

The older rabbit blushed. "I used to sing that for Cream when she couldn't sleep. She used to be scared of the dark as a baby."

"It sounds just like it did when I was little..." Cream smiled. "Thank you for that..."

"You're welcome, my darling girl," Vanilla smiled, kissing the top of her daughter's head.

Amy then smiled. "And that wasn't the only gift we got!" She lifted up two Sweet Treats bags. "Come on! Let's get our lunch on!"

Cream giggled. "Can't argue with that."

* * *

 **Back with Tails at the shelter...**

Sonic smirked. "How happy are you to be at work now?"

Tails shrugged as the two started walking. "It still beats being around the baby shower, I guess."

"Well, you never know. There might be some cute stuff there." Sonic seemed thoughtful. "And plus, it doesn't involve you a lot anyway, so I guess that you're safe."

"Yeah, maybe." Tails scratched his head. "I just need a way to take my mind off of things. The wedding's being planned, I'm making it a big surprise, it won't be much longer until the baby's born... I just wish that I could get away from it all for a little bit."

Sonic nodded. "I get what you mean. Amy's got a new advert coming up for that toothpaste commercial, but it requires her to fly over to Japan. That flight is going to be expensive, but the money that she'd make over there might just be worth it when she gets back."

"I sure hope so," Tails said.

"Hey," Hooper said, walking over to the two. "You two okay?"

"Yeah, just talking about our girls," said Sonic.

Hooper smiled. "I heard that much. You guys seem pretty stressed out about it."

"You don't have a girl back home?" asked Tails.

The grey cat shook his head. "Nope. I mean, I've got parents who I live with, but that's about it. I need to get away from them sometimes too. And it sounds to me like you guys are looking for something similar."

"What are you suggesting?" Sonic asked.

"Well, the weekend's soon, and there's a small little burger bar that opens at night. It does have alcohol, so you'll need your IDs, but it's just a chill spot."

"What's it called?"

"It doesn't really have a name, per say," said Hooper. "It's owned by a friend of mine from before I left for the war. His name's Tully."

"Well, it would be nice to take my mind off things," said Tails. "I'll run it by my better half."

"So will I," said Sonic. "Run it by Amy, I mean. Not Cream."

Hooper smiled. "Good. Now, get your asses back to work."

Sonic and tails both playfully sighed, going about the rest of their workday as usual. It soon came time to head home, so Tails found his car in the car park, starting it up and getting ready to head back home. He even gave a friendly wave to Vector as he saw him heading away too before starting the drive back home.

He pulled up to his driveway, and noticed that there wasn't any other cars there, meaning that the girls had left already. He headed inside and smiled as he saw Cream in the kitchen, walking over to her and kissing her on the cheek before sitting opposite her.

"How'd the baby shower go?" he asked.

"Oh, it was so cute!" Cream replied. "How was work?"

"Eh, the same old stuff, as a rule," said the yellow fox. "Except for when I got there. Everyone else was shouting up a storm at Conway for something he admitted to them after so long of having kept it a secret."

"What was it?"

"Just some stuff from his past, old crimes that he's making up for now by working at the shelter," Tails replied. "I'm sure that he'll make up for it sooner rather than later."

Cream nodded. "It'll be okay." She smiled. "I got some cute stuff upstairs for our kid if you want to take a look?"

Tails smiled. "Later. I want to star with you for a bit. Mostly because I have a question for you."

"Is it serious?" the cream-coloured rabbit asked.

"Oh, no," Tails smiled disarmingly. "Just that, with the job and the baby and all of the preparing for said baby, it's sort of... man, this sounds whiny, but it's making me a bit stressed out."

"I see your point, but that isn't a question," Cream winked.

Tails smiled. "My question is, could I go out with some friends this weekend? Hooper told me about a burger place that sells beer too. I won't be drinking any, but it's a chilled little spot, apparently."

"Yeah, of course," Cream said, smiling. "We all need our own little breaks from time to time."

Tails smiled again, kissing Cream's hand. "Thank you, my sweet." He then stood up with her. "Now, let's go see what presents our future baby girl has gotten."

"I'll be right behind you," Cream said, watching him get up and go upstairs. She sighed contentedly, looking down at her wedding ring, then at her baby bump, and then back up as she see Tails' form move out of sight when he reached the top of the stairs. "That is the man I'm going to marry... who I'm going to give a child to... and... I couldn't be happier..."

"You okay down there, Cream?" Tails asked.

"I'm fine! I'll be up there soon!" She sniffled a bit and smiled to herself again before making her move to the stairs to follow Tails.

* * *

 **And another chapter of this is done! Ooh, it's so, so close to the end now! I hope that you guys have all been enjoying it, and that you liked the little twist with Conway. That was a fun little bit to write, as was this whole chapter. I'll see you in the next one. Until then, take care, and stay tuned.**


	22. Due Date

At the shelter, it was about time for Tails to finish his work for the day before heading home. About three weeks ago, Hooper told both Tails and Sonic of a burger joint, and since it was the weekend again, Tails was looking forward to unwinding after a busy week of both working and finishing up plans for the wedding, either by adding new things or reaffirming old ones.

"Yo, buddy!" Sonic smiled as he brought in a black bag.

"Hey, man," Tails said. "What have you got there?"

Sonic held the bag up. "Donating some clothes. Just some old stuff that I didn't need any more, is all."

"Smart thinking. I know that some of it goes to a charity for the homeless too, so not only do we not make money from that, but we actually give something back," said Tails.

"Speaking of which," Sonic said, "we've got to open that room that just got renovated to fit more people in. These last three weeks have been murder because of that."

"Hey, it helps us to get more people," said Tails. "I'm guessing that we have more people staying now, though."

"Indeed we do," Sonic nodded. "Come on, fluffy. Let's get it done."

The two-tailed fox chuckled at that, and he and Sonic went to open said room. It was a bit further back into the building, but still easy to get to, and the two made sure that the beds were all prepared, even making sure that the TV was connected.

"I swear, this place runs better than most hotels that I've been to," the blue hedgehog chuckled.

"Amy's acting jobs get you a lot of hotel rooms in the past, huh?" Tails asked.

"Every now and then," Sonic admitted. "Either way, this was the last thing that we had to do today. Which means, our shift is over and we can go home."

"I know," Tails said.

"Which means that you'll be at Tully's for some burgers later, right?" Sonic asked.

"You know it, dude," Tails smiled, sharing a high-five the blue hedgehog.

"And you're being the designated driver again?"

"Someone's got to make sure that Knuckles gets home safely," Tails chided. "Jokes aside, it is nice to take my mind off of everything. It also has a great atmosphere at nighttime too."

"I bet that you guys are glad that Hooper told you all about it, huh?" asked Vector.

"Damn straight, we are," said Sonic.

"Are you going to be coming with us tonight?" asked Tails.

"Actually, no," said Vector. "I have plans with Vanilla, if you must know."

"All right, so that's a no from you," Tails smirked. "Duly noted."

Vector shrugged. "I know, I know. You guys have fun, though."

"We will," said Sonic. "I mean... I guess that we should all just go home now."

"Sounds like a good plan," said Tails, turning to leave with Sonic. "I'll fire off some texts and check to see who else wants to come."

"You two take care," said Vector.

"You're not coming with us?"

"I've got some overtime work to do in the kitchen," Vector said. "Just some cleaning is all. And besides, I'm not going with you guys to Tully's tonight anyway, so... yeah."

"Fair point," Sonic nodded. "All right, off we go!"

Tails smiled as his blue friend left before turning to Vector. "Listen, uh... thanks for helping me out with the wedding plans over these past few weeks."

"It's no problem," Vector said.

"And tell Vanilla that I say thanks too," said Tails.

"You could always tell her yourself," Vector smiled. "You're going past Sweet Treats on your way back home, right?"

"Indeed I am," Tails said. "I keep forgetting that for some reason." He smiled and waved. "All right, I'll see you when I see you."

Without any further words, the yellow fox turned to leave the building, rushing to follow closely behind Sonic. The two got into their respective vehicles and both began the drive back home, with Sonic separating to go down his familiar route before Tails went over to Vanilla's Sweet Treats. He pulled up and found a spot to park before getting out and heading to the shop proper.

"Hello, future stepmother," Tails said.

"Oh, that makes me feel so old... please, just stick with Vanilla?" Cream's mother said.

"I will. Sorry." Tails cleared his throat. "Before I order anything, I wanted to tell you the same thing that I told Vector earlier, which is thank you for helping me out with all of the wedding stuff."

"Oh, it's no trouble," Vanilla smiled. "So, what can I get for you?"

"I'll take some... ooh, something new on the menu?" Tails noticed.

"Ah, yes, a new recipe," Vanilla said. "Fruit and nut for both cookies and muffins. They've gone down really well so far. Would you like to put your order in?"

"Yeah, that sounds delicious," Tails smiled. "I'll take two of each, and also two hot chocolates, please."

Vanilla nodded, fixing up Tails' order for him before putting it into bags so that he could take them home. With some thank yous and other pleasantries exchanged, Tails paid for the lunch, leaving to get back to his car and drive himself the rest of the way back home. He pulled up to the main drive, cutting the engine and taking the food with himself as he went inside.

"Cream?" Tails asked. "I got us lunch, sweetie."

Cream stayed laying on her back on the couch, sniffing the food. "Ooh, that smells good... I'd get up and hug you, but I can't move too well right now..."

Tails smiled, going over and hugging Cream, kissing her cheek too. "How have you two been holding up?"

"Well, I'm sure that she's absolutely fine and having the time of her life in there," Cream smiled. "As for myself, as much as I can't wait to meet her, the fact that she's treating my uterus like a track and field is causing me a great deal of pain..."

"Would one of your mother's new recipes maybe alleviate some of that pain?" Tails asked.

Cream pondered. "It just might. Get a tray for mine, please?"

Tails smiled, going to the kitchen to get two trays, one for him and one for his future wife. He sorted out the food between the two, and he even wrapped a dry cloth around Cream's hot chocolate so that she could drink it easier. He came back over to the couch, lifting Cream's feet to rest on his knees as he sat and handed her her tray of food.

"There. Lunch is up."

Cream opened the bag, sniffing happily. "Mmm... fruit and nut, huh? Takes me back to my childhood..."

"How so?"

"Mama used to make something similar back when I was little to calm me down whenever I got scared," Cream said. "To be fair, a lot of the stuff that she's tried sort of tie me back to when I was a kid."

Tails nodded. "Do you think that it's maybe on purpose now that you're going to have a kid of your own?"

Cream blushed. "Our kid. Our daughter..."

Tails blushed back. "Right... ours..." He smiled, eating some of his food. "I mean, even if we don't get enough money to buy baby food and such from the store, we could always get a discount from Vanilla if we need it."

"Some people would call that taking advantage, but honestly... my mama loves you," Cream said. "She'd be fine with giving you this food for free."

"Well, I love her too, but I don't have a hot date with her tonight," Tails said. "Or with you, for that matter."

Cream giggled, playfully hitting Tails' arm. "You're going to that burger place again?"

"Yep. Always nice to catch some night air there. I'm just sorry that you haven't been able to come up with us yet."

Cream smiled. "After the baby's born, you owe me a burger or two."

Tails kissed her hand. "I promise, you'll get all the burgers that you want," he chuckled. "But for now, we have other food to get through first."

Cream giggled and nodded, and the two lovers got through their lunch and talked about Tails' day at work too, where he explained about Vector's working overtime and the crocodile's date with Vanilla too. He managed to keep the wedding plans a secret, and when they were finished, he stopped and looked at the letter piles.

"It feels like it's been forever since we did something to arrange those," Tails said. "We still need to make those little messages."

The cream and orange rabbit smiled. "Once again, something to save for after the baby is born, I think."

"Yeah, you're right," Tails nodded. "But still... imagine if she knew the journey that we went through together... I mean, barring the sad parts about the war."

"There were good parts?" Cream asked.

"Yeah," the yellow fox nodded again. "I got to come back home to you."

Cream sniffled a bit at that. "Oh, first I was happy, now I'm sad and still happy..."

"Sappy?" Tails tried.

Cream giggled. "Let's go with that..." She reached her arms up for him, and he pulled her up to hug her. "Mmm... I love you so much..."

"I love you so much..." Tails repeated, rubbing her stomach. He pulled his hand back sharply as he felt a kick. "Ooh, she's a strong one."

"I think that she gets that from both of us," Cream smiled.

Tails nodded, kissing Cream softly. "So, what are your plans going to be for the night?"

Cream sighed and yawned. "Sleep? I haven't thought that far ahead, to be honest."

Tails smiled. "Well, how about you get a proper rest in bed? I know that you sleep up there, because I take you up there most nights, but staying on the couch all day can't be good for a pregnant woman's back."

"It really can't," Cream replied. "Will my big strong man take me upstairs?"

Tails smiled, standing up with her. "Indeed he will."

The yellow fox then helped to carry Cream all the way up the stairs, and soon, they found their way to their bedroom. Tails carefully laid his fiancee down onto the bed, getting in next to her despite being fully clothed himself. He felt her rest her head against his shoulder, and he smiled to himself. His phone then buzzed, and he looked down to see that he had a text message from Sonic.

"What is it?" Cream asked, also looking.

"Just a quick role call to see who else is coming out tonight," Tails said. "As a matter of fact, I should shower."

"You should," Cream winked. "You smell awful."

"Love you too," Tails chuckled. "All right, I'll go and get myself all nice smelling for my friends."

Tails then turned on his heel, about to head into the shower before turning and grabbing Cream, causing her to giggle. He helped her over to the shower as well, and they started the water. They both got shot of their clothing and then got under the stream, washing each other too and sharing little hugs and kisses along the way. They were soon finished, and Tails helped Cream get dressed before helping her back over to the bed, getting himself dressed up in some fancier clothes too.

"So," Tails asked as he looked back at his fiancee on the bed, "what are you going to get up to while I'm out tonight?"

Cream sighed. "Might just stay in bed... no reason to move around too much..."

"I don't know," said Tails. "The time could be near for our little girl to come into the world."

"Well, I'll keep one of my friends on call," Cream chuckled. "If it'll make you feel any easier."

Tails smiled. "It might." He focused back on the mirror. "All right... I think that I'm all ready to go."

Cream giggled. "It's the third week in a row you're going to that place owned by that... uh... what was his name again?"

"Tully," said Tails.

"Yeah, him. You're just going out to meet some friends and eat some burgers. There's no reason to look so fancy."

Tails smirked. "Who says that I can't look fancy for you?"

"Me when you're not looking fancy for me," Cream smiled. "Were you not going out tonight, I'd probably be more fine with it."

Tails sighed. "I know, baby. But I promise that I'll come back safe and sound."

"You better," Cream said. "Come and give me a kiss before you leave."

"You almost make it sound like a demand," Tails joked. "And I shall happily give in." He leaned over and kissed her softly before rubbing noses with her. "I love you."

"I love you too..." Cream replied. Tails' phone then buzzed, and she giggled. "Get going, then. Don't want to keep them waiting."

Tails smiled at her again, blowing another kiss before leaving the room, heading down the stairs, and going to his car. Sure enough, he'd gotten a text from Sonic demanding to know where he was. Tails answered with a text of his own before hopping into his car. He started it up, beginning the drive to Tully's place.

Tully's burger joint was a little drive-in place. The joint itself was a small building, with the majority of the tables and chairs outside, which was also where the bar was for patrons who came for the alcohol. Tully mainly kept the burgers flowing, though, and one of his few workers usually helped when it came to the bar, although there were a few exceptions to the rule on occasion.

Tails pulled up to it, smiling as he overheard the radio in the burger diner playing lively music. He killed the engine to his car and got out of it, going over to one of the tables where several of his friends were. He sat down as he hugged Sonic around the shoulders.

"Glad that you could make it, man," Hooper smiled.

"I am too," Tails said. "With the baby getting closer and closer now... man, I might even take a beer."

"I'll order an extra one in," Knuckles smiled. "I'm kidding, dude. Heck, I'm keeping it light myself tonight."

"Why's that?" Tails asked.

"Well, I'm pulling in more hours at the shelter, and I don't want to spend half of my time there drunk and not helping the people who deserve it. I've already had one beer tonight, but just that one." The red echidna shrugged. "Guess that I'm more selfless than I thought."

"And ever so modest," Sonic said as he rolled his eyes, earning some chuckles from the others.

"See, you do get it," Knuckles smiled.

Tails shook his head. "So, anything new with you guys?"

Hooper shook his head back. "Not really. Yourself?"

"Also not really," Tails said. "Really nervous about the near future, though."

"Why's that?"

Tails leaned in close. "Well, you guys know about the wedding plans and stuff already. But the baby is almost here, and I don't know what to do."

"Uh... be a good father to your daughter and a good husband to Cream?" Knuckles asked.

"I had that much mapped out, thanks," Tails said, rolling his eyes. "I don't think that I've ever been this nervous. Or excited. Is it weird to feel both at the same time?"

"Not really," Sonic said. "I mean, I'm the oldest of three. When my little brother, Manic, was born, I was excited and nervous too. Excited because I was going to have a sibling, but nervous that our mum was going to shower him with more love. Then again, I was just two years old at the time, so what did I know?"

Knuckles put a hand on Tails' shoulder. "Dude, we didn't spend all of that time as friends in the barracks just to not know anything about each other. And what we know about you, friend, is that you're a good person. Having such a big thing coming up is supposed to be nerve-wracking. That's kind of the entire point."

"I would have expected that from Hooper, maybe," Tails said. "Sonic at a push. But Knuckles? That was a surprise."

"I'm full of those," Knuckles said.

Tails chuckled. "All right, who wants to get their grub on?"

"Are you paying?" asked Sonic.

"What, none of you guys have eaten anything yet?" Tails asked.

"We were waiting on you, man," Hooper answered for them.

"All right, yes, I'm paying," Tails said, shaking his head. "I swear, that's a running joke in my life..." He shook his head. "All right, you get your orders in."

He stood up from his seat, and the others put in their food orders for him. Tails memorised them and walked over to the main counter where Tully was. Tully was a portly yellow cat Mobian with a short blonde buzz cut and deep green eyes, not to mention a constant smile on his face that never seemed to disappear.

"Tails! Good to see you again, man," said Tully. "What'll you be having?"

Tails was about to put in his order when he heard some commotion outside. He turned around and saw a sporty-looking car pulling up, blaring loud music that was drowning out the vibe. Tails peered closer and recognised the driver of the car, walking out of it and stumbling, laughing like an idiot with his friends.

"You know that guy?" Tully asked.

"Regrettably, yeah," Tails replied, sighing. "I didn't think that he'd be here. Have you seen him before?"

"No," said Tully. "But one of my guys will take care of him. Don't want him ruining the mood."

"Fair point," Tails nodded.

He then placed the order down, surprised that he remembered everyone else's food order even with the distraction from Bugg, and he soon paid for the food. He walked over to his friends, handing their food out but not sitting down with them, which they took notice of. Knuckles was the first to bring it up.

"Why aren't you sitting down?" he asked.

Tails sighed. "Let's move to a different table." He nodded his head up in a gesture to Bugg at the minibar. "I know these ass-holes."

"They must really bother you if you're going to use such language," Sonic said. "All right, let's move."

They all did so, picking up their food and getting up from their seats to move to a separate table. They tried to be quiet and go unnoticed too, and it worked, with Bugg being too drunk or high to notice what was happening. They made it a couple of tables further away, the music now a bit more distant, but they could still hear it.

"Well, this is nice," Hooper smiled.

"It is now that we've moved back," said Tails.

"So, what happened between you two at first?" Hooper asked.

Tails sighed. "Well, not too long into being in the military, I got word of Cream being threatened on a bus. Luckily, Silver was there to save her. The second time was a little while after I came back, where those pricks had the gall to not only walk into Vanilla's Sweet Treats and threaten Cream, but make jokes about Vanilla and myself as well. Right where I could hear them."

"I can guess what kind of jokes that they were making," said Sonic. "Still, if I were you, I would have decked the fucker. I wouldn't let him talk to Amy like that, and she has a hammer that she uses for self-defence."

"A hammer?" Knuckles asked. "Why not a bat or something? It seems like that'd be less of a hassle."

"I've asked her that before, but she's pretty attached to it," Sonic shrugged, turning to Tails. "So, what'd you do at Sweet Treats?"

"I simply gave the man a threat of my own. A surprisingly violent one, but I guess that it came more from me wanting to protect Cream as opposed to wanting to hurt somebody like him." Tails shrugged. "But then again, what do I know?"

"Be honest, Tails," said Sonic. "If you wanted to go over there and knock him out right now, wouldn't you do it?"

"It would," Tails nodded. "And, from the looks of things, it wouldn't take me long. But the guy is too drunk out of his mind to even hear or see us."

"I don't know about that," said Hooper. "Here he comes."

Sure enough, Bugg stumbled over to them, leaving his other friends by the bar. "Hey, guys... hehehe!" He laughed giddily. "Oh, man, I'm buzzed. I'm so fucking buzzed right now..." He wiped his nose. "Any of you guys got any, uh, blow?"

"Nah, sorry," Knuckles said.

"Is... it's cool..." Bugg nodded. His eyes then fixed on Tails. "Wait... don't I know you from somewhere before? Someplace with muffins or whatever?"

"I, uh, don't think so," said Tails.

"Wait..." Bugg looked to see behind Tails. "Oh, it's... it's you! You're that fluffy guy with that bunny milf rabbit... no, wait, I'm getting that wrong... or am I? Was there two bunnies? Are you banging both of them?"

"No, that's not what's happening," the yellow fox shook his head.

"No, you're probably right. No way that you're enough of a man to pull something like that off," Bugg laughed. "Do you want my advice?"

"Not re-"

"Just leave the smaller bunny after she's done being fat, get with the mama bunny, knock her up too, and get them both every night! I mean, if you were even half of a man, you'd do that shit. I know that I would." He then giggled uncontrollably. "Fuck, I'm high."

"We hadn't noticed," Tails said. "Look, could you please stop talking about my future wife like that?" Tails asked.

"Yeah, it's just rude, dude," said Hooper. "And besides, you calling Tails half of a man is rich. If you knew even a quarter of the shit that he put himself through just to protect your pathetic ass, you wouldn't be saying what you're saying right now."

"I'm... sorry..." Bugg said. "Am I staring at a cat? Or are you just a pussy?"

"A pussy?" Sonic chuckled. "What, so Hooper's a mirror now?"

"Nice one." Knuckles shared a high-five with Sonic.

"Oh, you want a piece too?" said Bugg, hiccuping. He raised his fist when it was suddenly grabbed from behind.

"Would you mind, sir?" asked the person stopping Bugg. "You're disturbing the peace here."

Bugg nodded. "Sorry. Just... wanted to get a good buzz going, you know?"

"I think that you've had enough buzzing for one day," said the bouncer.

Suddenly, Bugg's friends walked over to see the commotion. "What's the fucking hold-up, dude?" one of them asked, turning to see Tails. "Oh... it's you!"

"Oh, great..." Tails shook his head, turning to the bouncer.

"I'm on it," the bouncer said. He put Bugg next to his friends and crossed his arms. "If you guys don't leave right now, I'm calling the police. And if that still doesn't convince you, then I'll put your asses to the curb. Are we clear?"

"Fuckin'... whatever..." Bugg said. "You take care, roid rage. Place is too dull, anyway..."

Tails shook his head as he watched them leave, sitting back down with his friends. "Man... I hate that guy. So much."

"I didn't think that you had the capacity to hate," said Knuckles.

"It's not often that I do," Tails noted. "But you know why I have issues with that person in particular."

"Dude, let's just relax, okay?" said Sonic. "We're here to eat food. Let's do that before we get into any more conflicts."

Tails nodded in agreement, and thankfully, the rest of the night went by pretty easily. They had their food, shared some funny conversations, and pretty soon, it was time to leave. Knuckles had left a bit earlier than the others, and Tails was about to get up from his table.

"Remember," said Hooper, "if you have any more problems with that Bugg fellow and his band of travelling ass-holes, you call us up, okay?"

"We've got your back, bro," Sonic nodded.

"I appreciate that," said Tails. "All right, I'm off home. See you guys later."

"Take care, man," Hooper said, swigging some of his beer.

The yellow fox nodded to them both, and managed to send Cream a text message to let her know that he was on his way back home. He got to his car, and was about to unlock it when he heard another car rumbling in the distance. He heard loud music and silly laughter, knowing whose car it was.

"Didn't they leave earlier? Eh... whatever."

Tails shook off the noise, thankful that they were completely ignoring him. He managed to get into his car this time around, starting it up and beginning his drive back home. It was slow going, with a surprising amount of traffic, and he pulled up behind a bunch of cars at a red light. After more waiting, the light turned green, and he followed behind the other cars to get to his route when his phone rang. He turned it on and put it on speaker mode.

"Hello?" he asked.

"Tails!" called a voice. "It's Amy! Cream's gone into labour! We're on our way to the hospital!"

Tails nodded. "I'll meet you there! Tell her to hang on, okay?"

Tails then reached down to try and hang up, but didn't look where he was going. Suddenly, another car crashed against his from the side, and he braced himself as he felt the impact. His car had been knocked onto its side, and his eyes adjusted to look down at his phone, the screen cracked.

"Tails?" Amy screamed on the other end. "What was that noise? TAILS?!"

But the yellow fox didn't have the strength to answer back, falling asleep where he was.

* * *

 **I know, I know. A cliffhanger. And I'm sorry that it took longer than I would have hoped. But I hope that you liked it. There's maybe two more chapters left, and it's all over. I'll see you for more Foxhunt and such soon. Until then, take care, and stay tuned.**


	23. Reminiscence

In the dark of knight, car alarms are heard beeping loudly as a hospital comes into view. Rushing through the hospital doors is Amy, helping Cream into said hospital. She was thankful that she'd called the hospital a few moments beforehand, and a bed was ready for Cream. Several doctors and nursed helped Cream onto said bed, and she winced.

"Amy..." Cream said weakly.

"Yes?" Amy asked.

"Where is... Tails?"

"He... he'll be fine..." Amy said, trying not to stress Cream out.

"Did he reply?"

"Not yet, but he will." Amy nodded. "I'm sure of it."

A nurse put a hand on Amy's shoulder. "Sorry, ma'am. You need to come and sit down."

"Yeah... I know..." Amy nodded. "Just be careful with her, okay?"

"I promise, we'll take extra care of her," said the nurse. "Are you with her?"

"I'm her friend, yes. Her fiance isn't here yet." The pink hedgehog then sat down. "Guess I'll wait for him..."

"That would be for the best, yes."

So, Amy sat down, waiting. Unexpectedly, it didn't take long until the doors burst open again, and in rushed another hospital bed from the ambulance. Amy got up and looked to see that it was a certain two-tailed fox, and she saw all of the damage done to his body.

"Oh, my..." said Amy.

"Hey," Silver said, being joined by Blaze and some of their other friends. "We got here as fast as we could."

"What happened to him?" Amy asked about Tails as he was wheeled away.

"There was a car accident," said Vector. "The last that we saw of him, he was eating food with us at Tully's place."

"Been meaning to go there," said Silver.

"It's good," Vector nodded. "Anyway, that was the last time that we saw him. It was me, Knuckles, Sonic, and Hooper."

"Silver was on patrol, and he saw the commotion, so he called in a favour from someone here to help," said Blaze.

"Well, your timing couldn't be worse," said Amy.

"What makes you say that?" asked Vector.

"I just got Cream here myself. She's in labour as we speak. Probably giving birth right now."

"Oh, shit..." Blaze muttered.

Amy sniffled a bit. "This... this is not how it should have been. Not for those two."

Blaze turned to Silver. "Any clue who it was who hit Tails?"

"Some moron who rushed a light. I think I know said moron too. He goes by the name of Bugg."

Vector's eyes raised. "Oh, that son of a bitch..."

"Vector?" said Amy.

The green crocodile clenched his hands. "That ass-hole was antagonising us at Tully's. He was too drunk and high to really do a lot of damage in a fight. Chances are he doesn't even know what happened."

"Well, where is he now?" asked Blaze.

Silver sighed. "I put out a search party for them. Apparently, after that car crash, they escaped on foot, with only a few witnesses seeing where they went." He hugged Blaze. "We'll catch them, though. I promise. For now, let's all just sit down."

And so, sit and wait they did. Along the way, several of their other friends showed up, including Conway, which was a surprise. They explained the situation to the people who were just then coming in to sit along with them, some standing due to the lack of seats and because of other people not in their group having their own problems.

Inside one of the hospital rooms, however, Tails was resting as he recovered from his injuries. The doctors examining him noted that no surgery would have to be done to correct anything, but he could be comatose for a few days at the latest.

"We'll let him have his rest," said one of the doctors. "This hero has earned it."

"Hero?" asked the other doctor. "You know this guy?"

"Yeah. A friend of mine named Callahan has told me about him. He fought in the war against FATE."

"Wow..." said the second doctor. "Shame that we can't pay our respects. Come on, let's check on the other patients. Let the hero have his dreams."

* * *

 **6 years ago...**

* * *

"I don't know," Tails said. "I mean, I'm going out on a date with some new girl."

Mina, a friend who set up this date, sighed at him. "Tails, it's been five months since your breakup with Cosmo. You need to get a new girl. You can't just spend all day working on the electronics in your house as an excuse."

"But what if I don't like her?" asked Tails.

"What would ever make you think that you wouldn't like her?" asked Mina. "You saw her picture, right? You even said that she was cute."

"She was. She... she is," Tails admitted. "But that doesn't mean that this will go well."

"Oh, buck up, will you?" Mina said. "Everything is going to be fine." She looked ahead. "Here she comes. I'll be on my way. You have fun now!"

On the other end of that, Cream was nervous as she watched Tails talking to a female yellow mongoose. "Well... there he is..."

Vanilla, her mother, smiled. "Aw... he is quite the handsome fellow."

"Mum... we can only see the back of him," said Cream. "The very fluffy, two-tailed back of him."

"And you don't want to find out what the front of him looks like?" Vanilla giggled. "Trust me, you're going to get this right. I believe in you."

"I... really hope so..." Cream replied. She took a deep breath. "Okay... I can do this."

The cream and orange rabbit then started her walk towards Tails, who turned around as his friend left. Cream knew that it was a friend as she was told by her mother that Mina would be there, and she was told about the date setup in the first place. She could only presume that Tails had been told the same.

Tails stood up to shake hands with Cream as she walked over. "Hi there."

She smiled back. "Hi yourself, stranger."

"I'm guessing that Mina had something to do with us meeting?"

Cream giggled as they both sat down at the table. "And you'd be right. So did my mother."

"Well... I won't complain," Tails said. "It's nice to meet you. I'm Tails."

"I'm Cream," she replied. "Tails... is your name linked to your tails at all?"

Tails smiled. "A little bit. My real name is Miles Prower. I was born with two tails, so that became a nickname of mine. Not a lot of people call me by my real name."

"Hehe... I think they're cute," Cream said.

Tails smiled. "I... uh... I can fly with them too."

"Really?" Cream asked.

"Yep!" Tails nodded. "It's pretty handy for not dealing with bullies..."

"Aw... but who would bully someone like you?"

"Because a lot of Mobians don't have two tails?" the yellow fox suggested. "But I've learned to own it over the years."

"Well, that is some great resolve indeed," Cream smiled. "So, what brings you out here?"

"I mean, besides our mutual friend, I did need to get out of the house a bit more. It's been a while since me and my ex-girlfriend mutually decided to part ways, which sounds so much better than saying that she just dumped me."

The cream and orange rabbit giggled at Tails. "Well, I'm hoping that it wasn't because of your tails, at least."

"Thankfully, no," Tails smiled back. "It was just time to end things for us, I guess. We were together for about three years. Then again, we're all still young."

"College can really mess things up, huh?" Cream said.

"I guess so," Tails said. "I study mechanics and such. I'm actually working on making my own car from scratch. It's part of a challenge that our teacher set for us."

Cream smiled. "That's so cool! And way more interesting than what I'm doing."

"And what is it that you do?" Tails asked.

"I am learning botany. I've gotten good at growing fruit lately, actually," Cream admitted. "My mother's a baker, so she uses some of the fruit that I grow in her recipes. She even has a name set up for a future bakery shop."

"What'll it be called?" Tails asked.

"Vanilla's Sweet Treats," Cream said. "I like how it sounds, honestly."

Tails smiled at Cream. "I do too." He cleared his throat. "Say, Cream?"

"Yes?"

"Would you like to go and grab some food?" Tails asked. "With me, I mean."

"Oh, uh... sure!" Cream nodded, standing up and reaching her hand out. "Let's go!"

Tails smiled, taking her hand as they rushed off to go and get some lunch together.

* * *

 **Present day...**

* * *

"Oh... it hurts..." Cream said, groaning in pain in her hospital bed.

"Okay, you need to relax, all right?" said the midwife. "It'll be okay... I promise..."

"Should we administer an epidural?" asked a nurse.

"Not until the pain gets worse," replied the midwife, turning back to Cream. "How are you feeling?"

"Still... in pain..." Cream replied.

The midwife looked down between Cream's legs. "The contractions are starting to get bigger. We're almost ready to start the process."

"AHHHH!" Cream screamed suddenly.

"Or maybe we're ready now," said the midwife. She reached for Cream's hand. "All right, take a few more breaths. We're going to try and get it more open before pushing the baby out, okay?"

Cream nodded. "Oh... okay... AH! GOD!"

Back outside of the room, Blaze heard the screaming and started to pace. "One of us needs to be in there with her for support."

"She'll be okay," said Sonic.

"Are you sure?" asked Blaze. "Because those screams make it sound like she isn't so okay."

Conway stood up. "I... I think that I'll go."

"I don't know if that's such a good idea," said Vector. "Remember that you're the one who put Tails' life in danger back when he was serving under you."

"But I'm not the one who put him in the damn hospital!" said Conway. "I made a mistake, yes. You think I don't regret it? I'm sorry, all right? What more do you want from me? I've apologised enough, and I'm doing my best to help at the shelter... and yet you refuse to forgive me."

"Because you shouldn't be doing it just to get our forgiveness," said Vector. "You should be helping just for the sake of helping. The secrets that you kept... the things that you did... they can't simply be forgiven."

The two had some time to calm down after their argument, and Silver stood up. "Conway?"

The colonel turned to face the silver hedgehog. "Yes?"

"I know how you can help." Silver turned to Vector. "You're coming along too."

Blaze seemed curious. "Where are you going?"

"We're going to find the people who put Tails in this hospital in the first place," Silver said. "And we're not going to argue about it. Understood?"

Vector and Conway didn't speak as Silver walked out of the hospital with the two in tow, and Blaze sighed, shaking her head. "I thank god for that man..."

"Maybe prayers might help things get better here," Vanilla suggested. "At least, I really hope so..."

* * *

 **3 years ago...**

* * *

Tails was nervous as he got ready to deliver his speech. It was graduation day, and he knew that Cream would be watching from the crowd as she had already graduated from her school the previous week with her degree in botany.

"Tails?" asked one of the yellow fox's classmates. "Are you okay to go?"

"Y-Yeah..." Tails nodded. "Just... man, that's a lot of people..."

"Oh, I'm sure that you'll be fine. Get on up there."

Tails was slightly pushed forward, and the crowd cheered as Tails took to the podium, clearing his throat and looking at the microphone. He put his speech paper down onto the podium, clearing his throat and looking at the crowd. He managed to put his nerves aside when he saw Cream in the crowd, and he smiled. He saw his parents sat next to Cream too, looking hopeful, his mother tearing up slightly.

"So, uh..." He looked down at his speech. "I'm glad to be graduating from this college. I know that a lot of my fellow classmates made it to this level too, and that just shows how good they are at listening as well as how good the teachers are at... erm... teaching." The crowd laughed a bit at that. "I studied and worked hard to get to where I am, and I couldn't have done it without some great people. But the main person I want to thank is my lovely girlfriend, Cream, who herself graduated from a different college already. So, she's smarter than me, which is good to know." The crowd laughed again at that, and Tails nodded. "That more or less concludes my college speech. But before I go and sit down, I want to say a big congratulations to everyone else who graduated today, you have one hundred percent earned it. I want to thank all of the teachers that helped me out through my time here. And Cream... I love you. So much."

The crowd applauded, and Tails went back over to join his fellow students. Since he was the last one, it was the principal's turn to give his own speech, but Tails' eyes were mostly on Cream, and he smiled to himself as she watched him back too. But Tails was nudged by a fellow student, and he noticed that all the graduates were ready to toss their hats up. They all did just that, cheering before going back to their families and friends.

"Oh, I'm so proud of you!" said Rosemary, hugging Tails as he walked over to her.

"Thanks, mum," Tails smiled.

Amadeus ruffled Tails' hair a bit too. "I knew that you could do it, son!"

"Hehe! Thanks," Tails said. "I had the right people behind me, after all."

"Sorry that we weren't able to stay in touch," Amadeus sighed. "It's just... with work being as busy at it is, and you being so busy with college, we haven't had much of a chance."

"No, I get it," the yellow fox said. "I haven't had the chance to make much of an effort."

Vanilla sighed. "Not to mention poor Cream too... being in a different place to Tails."

"It's not her fault," Tails said. "Her college was better for her chosen subject, much like mine was better for me."

Cream walked over and hugged Tails. "Still, we're all so happy for you..."

Tails kissed Cream on the cheek and smiled. "So... are you ready to go celebrate?"

Cream nodded. "You know it!"

* * *

 **Present day...**

* * *

The hospital doors opened, and in walked Amadeus and Rosemary.

"What happened?" asked Tails' father.

"Is everything okay?" asked Tails' mother.

"Oh, it's been so long," Vanilla said, hugging the two foxes. "Cream is in labour, and Tails is hurt, but stable."

"Oh, that's good..." said Rosemary. "Wait, how did Tails get hurt?"

"A car crash," said Blaze. "Some friends of ours are out finding the perpetrators of said crash as we speak, so please, try not to worry too much."

Rosemary nodded, sniffling a bit. "He's still my son... the last that I heard of him, he went to fight in the war. I'm glad that he came home safely from that, at least."

"Did you get to stay in contact for long after he signed up?" asked Sonic. "I mean, I know that he sent letters to Cream, but what about you guys?"

"No, we didn't get to talk much," Amadeus admitted. "We both were very busy at the time. He did tell us about him signing up, but we didn't get the chance to see him off..."

"Seriously?" asked Blaze. "He was gone for about half of a year, and you two couldn't stay in contact with him?"

"It wasn't for a lack of trying," Rosemary replied. "We tried to stay in touch, but with him doing what he was doing, and with us being busy-"

"And there you go again! Busy!" Blaze said. "Busy doing what, exactly?"

Amadeus nodded. "I'm one of the top engineers in the country. My lovely wife, Rosemary, is one of the best biologists in the whole world."

"Prower..." Sonic said. "Man, that name was bugging me for the longest time, and now I know why. I'd heard of you before, but I never thought that I'd get the chance to meet you."

Blaze blushed intensely. "I... I know who you are. I'm so sorry for getting angry like that. I'm just... really stressed. I spent most of my time with Cream helping her get from place to place during her pregnancy."

"It's true," Vanilla confirmed. "I was busy myself running my own place, but if I couldn't make it to Cream, there was always a friend of hers there to help."

Rosemary smiled. "Thank you, Blaze. That means a lot that you looked out for her. And you're forgiven for the anger outburst. It's understandable."

"Thank you..." the purple cat said.

A nurse walked out to the group. "Is there a Vanilla here?"

The mother rabbit herself stood up from her seat. "That's me. What's wrong?"

"Your daughter is starting to give birth, and she wanted you there to support her. Come, now! It won't be long!"

"Oh, okay," Vanilla nodded. She followed after the nurse.

"Mama..." Cream said. "It... it really hurts..."

"I know it does..." said Vanilla. "I've been there before with you, remember?"

Cream winced as she kept trying to push. "What was it like with me?"

Vanilla held Cream's hand. "It was tough, I won't lie. This part... isn't easy. It never is." She looked down to her daughter. "But it gave me you. Someone whom I love and cherish and will always be there for when you need me."

"Thank you... I'll... I'll be okay..." Cream nodded, but let out a painful grunt. "Oh, it's coming!"

Vanilla held on tightly to her daughter's hand as she started to push harder, screaming and letting out some tears of pain. Despite all of the anguish that she was going through, the comfort of her mother being nearby was a reminder that things were going to be okay. It pushed away the stress of the pain.

Another thing that helped was knowing that Tails was just in the other room. While it was true that he was in pain, she knew that he couldn't wait to see their daughter either as she continued to push out. Cream let out another scream as she felt her eyes starting to close.

"Mum... it hurts..." Cream said.

"You need to stay with me, okay?" Vanilla said. "Please, it'll be fine. Just a little bit longer. Just give another push. I promise, things will be fine."

"We can calm her down, if need be," said a nurse.

"N-No..." said Cream. "I can do this... I know that... I can do this..."

The midwife sighed. "We just need a big push from you, okay? The baby is crowning. It won't take long. Just push for me, all right?"

"Okay... nnn... naaaaaahhhh!"

Outside in the waiting room, Blaze began pacing as she got a text on her phone, breathing a sigh of relief. "Well, we got some good news, at least."

"What's up?" asked Sonic.

"Silver and the others caught that Bugg dude. They're taking them to jail right now."

"That is good news," said Amy. "I just hope that Cream is going to be okay..."

"She's tough," said Amadeus. "She's been through worse, I'd imagine..."

"Well, that's easy for you to say," said Rosemary. "You're not the one that had to give birth to our son."

The group did lightly chuckle at this, but then they soon heard more screaming, silencing their levity.

* * *

 **Ten months ago...**

* * *

Tails looked down at the piece of paper in his hands, sighing to himself. After what had happened a short while ago, he was fired from his job as an engineer at the place that he worked, and the piece of paper that he was looking at was a bad omen for things to come.

"I can't believe that I'm doing this..." he said. "Okay, just man up. You have to tell her eventually. She's out making a sale now, so she'll be back soon. You just... need to tell her. You could tell her that you got fired, you can tell her about this."

As if on cue, Cream came back inside from the back garden, finishing talking to somebody on the phone. "All right... yes... thank you very much! They'll be all ready for you by tomorrow. Fantastic. You take care." She smiled at Tails. "Hehe, I did it!"

Tails smiled back at her, keeping the paper behind his back. "You've certainly got your mother's salesmanship skills."

"You're telling me," Cream giggled. "Ooh, have you got a present for me behind your back?" She shook her head. "If so, then that's great, but I have to question how you got a new job so quickly without me even knowing about it."

"It... it's not a job offer..." Tails sighed. "Or, at least, not a traditional one..."

The cream and orange rabbit raised an eyebrow. "Then what is it?"

"I... uh... I was out earlier to get some groceries, and someone offered me a chance to sign up with the military," said Tails. "It's got good pay, and I need a job. And before you get worried, it won't be anything serious. It'll just be analysis and communications. I won't be out there getting shot by people."

"And you were planning on telling me about this... when?" asked Cream.

"Today," Tails said. "I... I'm sorry that I didn't ask you. I already signed up. I ship off in a couple of weeks. A month at the latest."

Cream stood still, sniffling a bit. "Tails..."

The yellow fox started to weep a bit himself, his tears trailing down his cheeks. "Cream, I'm sorry. But we need the money. I... I don't want to just sit on my ass all day at work. I haven't found a good job since I got fired, and it's not like I haven't been looking. But this... this is the opportunity that we need right now."

Cream didn't speak, but she kept sniffling until her body started to tremble with her crying. She almost fell to her knees, but Tails reached and caught her before she had the chance to hit the floor. He lifted her up, tilting her face up with his hands and wiping her tears away with his thumbs.

"Tails..." Cream said lightly. Her left hand lifted up, showing the engagement ring on her finger. The same one that Tails popped the question with only five months prior. About four months before he lost his job. "I... I don't want you to leave me..."

"I'm not going to..." Tails said reassuringly. "I'm never going to leave you."

"You're going to fight... to do something better than yourself..." Cream sniffled. "And I'm going to be sat here, miserable all day, and-"

Tails cut her off with a soft kiss. He held it for a few seconds before breaking it off. "I don't want to go... but I need to do something... I'm sorry... I should have told you before..."

Cream kissed him back, still crying. "You... you have to promise me that... that you'll be okay..." she said.

"I promise..." Tails replied, kissing her again. "Cream... I'm never going to leave you... I love you so much..."

"I... I love you too..."

Tails held Cream as they both collapsed onto the floor, crying and holding each other.

* * *

 **Present day...**

* * *

"AAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHH!" Cream yelled out painfully. "IT HURTS! OH, IT HURTS!"

Vanilla grunted, holding onto Cream. "It's almost over! The baby's almost here, okay? You just need to hold on for me!"

Cream screeched in pain as she gave one final push, feeling the body of her newborn daughter exit her. She let out plenty of tears from the pain, but she soon heard soft crying from the baby that she'd just given birth to. The cord was cut, and her daughter was wrapped up in a towel and cleaned up before being handed to Cream.

"Oh... oh my god..." Cream said.

Just like Callahan had promised, Cream's daughter looked like a baby version of her. She had the cream and orange rabbit's features, albeit with a fluffier look due to being a newborn, as well as some tufts of light brown hair on her forehead. She cried a bit more as Cream looked down.

"You did such a good job..." Vanilla said. "I'm so proud of you..."

Cream sniffed too, looking down to her child. "Hey there... I'm your mama... welcome to this world, I guess..."

"Do you have a name for her?" asked Vanilla.

"I... I like Ashley as a name..." said Cream. "That's what we'll go for..."

The midwife smiled. "We'll let the others in to see now."

Cream nodded at that, cradling Ashley gently. She saw the little rabbit's hands reach out for her, so Cream reached a finger down to lightly tickle her belly. The baby yawned and opened up her eyes, showing the same blue eyes that Tails had.

"Hey," said Amy as the others followed behind. "Is... aw! She's so cute!"

"Try to keep your voices down, please," said a nurse.

"Sorry..." said the pink hedgehog.

Cream giggled. "Come say hi to Ashley..."

The others gathered around, looking down to see the cute little rabbit. Soon after, Vector, Silver, and Conway had all returned too. Everyone congratulated Cream on what a great job it was that she did. Vanilla turned to leave, and she saw Conway on his way out. Curiously, she followed where he was going, seeing that he was waiting outside the emergency room where Tails was resting.

"You're not going to come and say hello to the baby?" Vanilla asked.

"I... I suppose that I didn't deserve that privilege," said Conway. "But the least that we can do is wait for Tails to get better now."

"You know, you need to stop blaming yourself for Tails getting hurt. You're not the reason that he's in this hospital tonight."

"I guess that you're right. I gave my apologies already. But... I can't shake the feeling that I should have been there. Maybe I could have done something good for one of my former soldiers for a change."

Vanilla sighed. "There isn't a war any more. You're not a soldier any more, and neither is Tails. You have nothing left to prove, because you have nothing left to fight for. You've done your fighting, and now all that you can to is to help others who have done their time as well."

"I... yes. You're correct." He sighed. "Still, what do we do now in regards to Tails?"

"We sit and wait for him to feel better," said Vanilla. "It might take a couple more days."

Conway nodded. "I suppose so." He turned to Vanilla. "Thank you. For helping."

"No problem. Now, go home and get some rest. We all need it after tonight."

Conway nodded, turning around to leave. Vanilla waved him away, and as he left, Amy, Blaze, and anyone else who was in the maternity room had left Cream alone with Ashley. They all walked up to Vanilla, and Vector noticed Conway leaving.

"Where's he off to?" the green crocodile asked.

"He's gone to get some sleep," said Vanilla. "And considering that it is getting late, we should all get some sleep ourselves."

"Is someone going to stay and watch over Tails?" asked Blaze.

"He has the doctors here to help with that," said Vanilla. "He doesn't need-"

"I'll do it," said Sonic, quickly cutting off the cream-coloured mother rabbit.

"Are you sure?" Amy asked.

"Yeah. I can put in more hours at the shelter to make up for it," he smiled at his girlfriend. "I've got this."

"Well, if you say so." Amy kissed him. "You big damn hero, you."

"Aw, shucks," Sonic smirked. "Take care."

"I love you."

"I love you too."

The others then turned to leave, and Sonic sighed. He saw some doctors walk out of the room that Tails was in, and he walked past them to sit in the main waiting room of the hospital. He heard a receptionist clear their throat, and Sonic looked at them, seeing a female behind the desk.

"Are you waiting to see someone?" she asked.

"Just waiting on a friend," Sonic replied. "I can't go into his room right now, so I may as well stay out here until I'm allowed in."

"Hmm... fair enough."

Sonic smiled at the receptionist before sitting back in his seat. 'Come on, Tails... you've got to make it out of this one. You've got friends waiting for you out here. You have a daughter waiting out here... man, we're going to have a lot to talk about when you wake up...'

* * *

 **And another one is in the bag! This was another one that I liked writing, so... nothing new. The next chapter may most likely be the last, and I want to say thank you to everyone who's enjoyed this so far. I'll see you soon for whatever happens next. Until then, take care, and stay tuned.**


	24. Cause For Celebration

Vanilla the rabbit was sat in the hospital's waiting room, with Vector sat next to her. She rested her head on his shoulder, and he gently stroked her hair in a comforting manner. Sonic was sat with Amy too, and Cream was sat there with Ashley in her lap, bouncing her gently.

"It's been about a week," said Blaze. "I really hope that he's getting better..."

"I'm sure that he'll be okay," said Vector. "I got to see him myself earlier. They've patched him up real good."

Ashley let out a little cry, and Cream pulled her newborn daughter up to kiss her nose. "It's okay... daddy will be up soon. We can all go home..."

Sonic smiled. "Think we should start with that? Tell Tails about his child when he wakes up?"

"It could work," Vector said. "I'm glad that Conway's helping at the shelter. We needed someone over there to keep things together while we're all here."

Vanilla put her hand on Vector's. "You've done a good thing, Vector."

The green crocodile smiled, but his attention was diverted as he looked up to see a nurse walking over to them. "Hello," she said. "You're with Tails, correct?"

"That we are," Amy said. "Is he okay?"

"He just woke up. You can go and see him, if you'd like," the nurse said.

"I think that we would, yes," said Sonic.

The nurse smiled, waiting for them all to stand up. After they did, they started walking towards the room where Tails was resting up. The nurse held the door open for them to get in, and they all managed to find enough space to give to the two-tailed fox as he looked around at them.

"Oh, hey," Tails said, still drowsy. "How long was I out for?"

The nurse cleared her throat. "About a week."

"It doesn't feel that long..." said Tails. "What happened?"

"Quite a lot," said Amy, "but we'll start with how you got here."

"I'll leave you guys to it," said the nurse, leaving the room.

"Thank you for helping!" Tails called after her.

Sonic chuckled. "As Amy said, we start at the start. You were hit by a car driven by Bugg and his friends. That's how you wound up here."

"Wait, really?" Tails asked, moving up a bit. "Why does that not surprise me?"

"Well, we found him and brought him and his friends into custody," said Silver. "So, there's a silver lining, at least."

"Ah. Well, that's good... I guess." Tails yawned. "I don't remember a car coming. All that I remember is driving home, then I got a call that Cream was going into... labour..." Tails looked around. "Where is she?"

"Here..." Cream said, making her way through her friends. "And... I have someone who wants to meet you."

Tails looked close, seeing a baby cradled in Cream's arms. "Is... is that..."

Cream nodded. "This is Ashley. You want to hold her?"

Tails nodded, sitting up a bit as Cream walked over. The cream and orange coloured rabbit carefully handed over the baby to Tails, who held her softly and looked down at her. He saw her little hands reaching up as she yawned, still crying a little bit.

"Oh... my god..." Tails started to cry himself. "She's... she's so beautiful..." He looked up at Cream. "You did such a good job..."

"Well, it wasn't just me," Cream smiled. "She's our daughter. Yours and mine."

Tails chuckled softly, looking back down at Ashley. "Our little girl..." He rocked her gently, and she let out a little squeak, so he stopped. "Aw... sorry... I didn't mean to hurt you..."

"She'll be okay," Cream said. "If this year has taught me anything, it's that a lot of this has been so worth the wait..."

Tails nodded. "Y-Yeah..." He looked up to Cream. "Come here..."

She smiled and leaned over to kiss him. "I'm glad that you're okay..."

"I am too..." Tails smiled back. "Now... we really need to sort out a wedding date..."

"That can wait," Cream sniffed, hugging him.

The nurse walked back in. "Is everything all right in here?"

Tails gave a thumbs up. "Just fine, thank you."

She smiled. "Good. Now, as much as I really, really hate to break this up, Tails does need some more rest. But it won't take too long."

The yellow fox nodded, kissing his daughter again. "You'll be okay... we'll be back together soon, all right?" He handed Ashley off to Cream, and she hugged her. "I promise, as soon as I'm done here, I'm coming back home..."

"I know..." Cream smiled, still sniffing. "I know..."

She leaned in to give Tails one more kiss before leaving with their friends, all of them wishing him well as they left. After they did, they all went back out into the main hall of the hospital, heading for the waiting room and sitting down for a moment.

"So, what's next for us all?" asked Blaze.

"I guess that we all just go home," said Vector. "We've got a wedding to plan, we've got work to do... we're going to be busy for a little while."

"I've got to get back to my store too," Vanilla said. "Being a bit behind plus having to make some food for the wedding... it's not going to be easy going."

"It won't be. But that's the price that we have to pay, I guess." Sonic said. "All right, let's head home."

"Wait, isn't one of use going to stay here and wait for Tails?" asked Vanilla.

Vector raised his hand. "I'll do it. It's just for a few days, and the rest of you guys can keep up the work at the shelter without me."

Vanilla kissed his cheek. "I appreciate this a lot. Thank you."

Cream hugged Vector softly. "It means a lot to me too."

"Eh, you just go and take care of yourselves, okay? I'll be fine here." The crocodile shrugged. "He won't be in there for much longer anyway, so... it's all good."

They smiled and nodded, getting up to leave Vector to it. Over the next few days, some last minute preparations were made in regards to the wedding, mostly who was and wasn't going to make it, who was going to sit where, and any other changes such as last minute guests.

Surprisingly, they managed to find a good venue - there was a room in the veterans shelter that was large enough to fit who they needed, as well as some extra witnesses to the wedding. The floor had to be made to look more like dark, laminated wood, so the soldiers there did their best, with Vector helping along the most.

Vanilla helped him with some of the finer design details, as well as the specifics that Tails had pinned down when they were talking about it in the first place. She made sure that more soldiers sat on the right side, and more of Cream's friends were sat on the left side. She also provided the finger foods, using some recipes from her store to help along with the catering.

Vector looked around at the design and smiled. "This looks amazing."

"Well, thank you," Vanilla smiled. "You have to remember, it was all Tails' idea."

"It was also his idea that he doesn't see how the venue looks until the date of the wedding," Knuckles said, moving a chair into place. "Smart move, considering how good this all looks."

"Oh, yeah, we nailed this one," Hooper said, bumping fists with the red echidna. "I'm personally just glad that the soldiers here not only helped, but are okay with this room being used for the wedding."

"Well, we didn't really use this area all that much in the first place," Vector shrugged. "I'm sure that they won't miss it."

"We've still got a couple of weeks until the actual wedding," said Vanilla. "Even if they do miss it, this room won't be like this for long."

"Let's make the most of it," said Hooper. "We've got a lot of stuff to get ready still."

The guests of the wedding spent the majority of their time in between then and the wedding either trying suits and dresses, finding decorations or other foods that they wanted to add, debating what to keep and what to get rid of, and even selecting the music and who was going to sit where exactly.

Back at Tails' house, however, he was having a different worry.

"It's only a few days left until the wedding," said Tails, pacing impatiently. "We don't have a sitter for Ashley."

"What, you're not going to take her with you?" asked Sonic. Cream had left to get her wedding dress and took Ashley with her, so that left Tails on his own.

"I would, but she's not even a month old. That many people in that big room in such a short time... it might not be the best for her."

Sonic shook his head. "Dude, as your best man, it's my job to give you advice. And my advice is this: Take your daughter with you. It could be good for her. She could get to know the family there, maybe she could even make friends with Taryn and Wade's kids since their whole family is going to be there too."

"All right, you have a point," Tails said. "But what about other things? We don't have a minister either."

"What about Vector?"

"He's a groomsman," Tails said. "I don't think it's fair to make him pull triple duty. Not just doing that and helping with the decorations, but marrying me and Cream together... I don't want to put that on him."

"Well, that only leaves one option," Sonic said. "Conway."

"Conway?"

"You know, the guy who led us in the military, who did almost get us killed, but more importantly, he came back in a big way and has been pulling his weight at the shelter?" The blue hedgehog shrugged. "Also, the dude has the gift of gab. If anyone's qualified to officiate a wedding out of any of us, it's him."

"I mean, you're good at talking too," Tails smiled. "You sure that you don't want to do it?"

Sonic smiled and pulled a ring out of his pocket. "I've got another responsibility to take care of. It's an enticing offer, but pulling two jobs at once just seems like a hassle."

"And now you know my struggle," Tails chuckled. "I guess that it could be him. We just need to go and ask him."

"He's probably at the shelter right now. If we get a move on, we'll be able to catch up to him."

"All right, let's get to it," Tails conceded. "But remember, keep me away from where the wedding is taking place. I want to save it for the day itself, okay?"

"Dude, there's what, four days left? You can risk a little peek, I think."

"Nope. I'm keeping my promise."

Sonic shook his head. "Well, let's get moving then. See if we can catch up with him."

Meanwhile, Cream was looking at her wedding dress, with her mother and some other friends in tow. They had seen the wedding dress, but they hadn't seen how it would look while Cream was wearing it. Amy looked over her bridesmaid dress that she wore, smiling.

"This turned out looking really nice," Amy said.

Vanilla giggled, cradling Ashley. "Remember, we're here for Cream."

"I know," Amy nodded. "But that doesn't mean that we can't look good too. We are going to be the bridesmaids there, after all."

"And only one maid of honour," sighed Blaze. "You're lucky."

"Well, I guess that it's only right," Amy said. "I'm the maid of honour, Sonic is the best man... it could be me and him getting married next!"

Blaze smiled. "I'm fine with that. Just as long as I get to be maid of honour at your wedding after."

Amy shrugged. "Is that okay with you, Cream?"

"Eh, I guess I can live with it," the rabbit called.

"How's the dress looking in there?" asked Tarin.

"I... I think it's the perfect one... but a second opinion or two wouldn't hurt," Cream said.

"Well, let us take a look at it," said Amy. "We'll decided for ourselves."

The dressmaker came out to see them. "I think that you'll like it," he said. "Are you ready to see her now?"

"Please, send her out," said Vanilla.

The dressmaker walked back into the dressing room, nodding to Cream. He opened up the curtain and smiled as he presented her. "Well, what do you think?"

"Oh... wow..." Blaze said.

"It's so gorgeous!" said Amy.

Vanilla sniffled. "My own daughter..."

Tarin smiled. "That looks so good!"

Cream blushed as she looked down at her own dress, smiling at its design. The crisp, clean whiteness of it, a small plunge in the neckline, the flowing skirt that left only a small trail behind, the embroidered design on the bustier, and the straps that held it up flawlessly... even she teared up at it a little bit.

"Seriously, Tails is going to be knocked loopy when he sees you in that dress," said Amy.

Cream blushed again. "You really think that it looks that good?"

"It looks great!" Amy smiled. "Oh, I have to take a picture of this! I promise not to show anybody until after the wedding!"

"Or," Blaze interjected, "we could wait until the wedding to take the pictures."

The pink hedgehog sighed. "Or that..."

Vanilla laughed, bouncing Ashley on her knee. "What do you think? Does mummy look good?"

Cream walked over and picked Ashley up, and the baby rabbit nuzzled against the material of the dress before letting out a small squeak. Cream smiled and lifted her daughter to kiss her gently before cradling her, rocking her back and forth. She looked to see Ashley let out a yawn, and smiled as she saw her eyes open a little bit.

"Aw... bright blue like Tails..." Vanilla smiled.

"Yeah..." Cream nodded, clearing her throat. "So... uh... that's the bride's dress decided." She turned to the dressmaker again. "Thank you for all of your help."

He smiled. "It's no problem. It's such a good design... your fiance is a lucky man."

Cream looked down at Ashley, seeing her yawn. "Aw... sleepy time. Let's get her back home."

They asked the dress to be delivered to Amy's house for safekeeping, which made sense as she was the made of honour. Back with Tails and Sonic, however, they were at the veterans shelter. They did make a point to switch to some normal clothes as they looked around for Conway.

"Hey," said a soldier there. "You guys needs some help?"

"Yeah, we're looking for Conway," said Sonic. "Have you seen him?"

"Oh, he's in the kitchen, feeding people," said the soldier.

"Thanks," said Tails. He and Sonic headed to the kitchen, seeing Conway feeding people, as promised.

"Oh, hey," said Conway. "What brings you two here? You want some food?"

"Actually... I have a favour to ask of you," said Tails.

"What is it?" asked Conway.

Tails took a breath. "Well, it came to my attention that we don't have a minister for the wedding, and we want somebody close to us to do it..." He cleared his throat. "Would you... like to officiate mine and Cream's wedding?"

"Oh." Conway's eyes widened a little bit. "Well... I myself am not an ordained minister, so that wouldn't make it exactly fair on you and Cream. But I do know a soldier here who would be more than happy to take care of it for you."

"Sir," Tails said. "I really think that it should be you."

"It... it can't be me," said Conway. "After all that I put you through-"

"All that you've done since then has made up for it," Tails said. "You... you didn't have to show up and start helping at this shelter. But you did. You weren't asked to come and visit me at the hospital while I was in my coma, but you did that too. Now, I'm asking you, get yourself ordained, and be the man who marries me and Cream together."

Conway sighed and nodded. "I guess that I'd have to find a way to get myself ordained. Online, maybe?"

"Whatever works," said Tails. "So, you're really going to do it?"

The colonel nodded. "I will. It could be another chance for me to make things right with you after all that I did."

Tails smiled. "I appreciate it very much, sir. It would be an honour to have you officiate mine and Cream's wedding. And I don't ask you as a former soldier, I ask you as myself. It does mean a lot, so... thank you."

"You're welcome," said Conway.

After that, pretty much everything else was set. There was only a few days until the wedding, and everything was ready. The catering, the seats, the venue, the music, the guests... it was all good to go. Conway even managed to get himself ordained properly so that he could officiate the wedding.

It didn't take long for the day proper to roll around, and Tails was fixing his suit up in his car, as there weren't dressing rooms in the shelter. "How do I look?"

"You look fine," said Sonic. "You've looked fine for the past 20 times that you have asked me that question."

"It's just nerves, I guess..."

"Nerves?" Sonic scoffed lightly. "You're marrying the girl of your dreams. What have you got to be nervous about?"

"I guess that you have a point there," Tails said. "But... I guess that I just can't believe it, you know? Everything that we went through together and here, now, finally... it feels worth it."

"I know what you mean, man," Sonic smiled. "So, you ready to go and get married?"

"I am indeed."

The two got out of the car and walked into the building. They were guided to the venue where Tails and Cream would be getting married, and the yellow fox looked around inside of it, seeing the decorations, the food, the open space, the seating arrangements... he smiled at it all, how perfect it all looked.

"So," said Vector, "thoughts?"

Tails chuckled. "It's perfect. Thank you for putting all of your work into it, man."

"It wasn't just him," Vanilla smiled. "Oh, you look so handsome in your suit!"

Tails blushed. "Thank you... but this is about Cream as well."

"And your daughter," said Knuckles, rocking Ashley in his arms. "I'd sit with her, but I'm one of the groomsmen, so I kind of have to be at the front with you. I'm surprised that she hasn't thrown up on my suit yet."

"I'm sure that she likes you too," Sonic shook his head.

Wade smiled and walked up. "I'll hold on to her. Might have her sit her with her cousin and such and see how they get along."

"That sounds like a good idea," said Tails. "So... how about we have ourselves a wedding?"

Meanwhile, in a separate room with Cream and the bridesmaids, the rabbit was looking down at her dress, checking on the time too. "Oh, this is going to be so exciting!"

"You're happy, huh?" Amy asked.

"That is an understatement, but yes, I am!" Cream giggled. "And a little bit nervous."

"That is understandable," said Blaze. "You spent all the weekend learning your vows, right?"

"I did, yes. That doesn't mean that I can't be nervous, right?"

Blaze smiled. "I guess not."

Taryn sighed. "It does sadden me that Wade won't be a groomsman, but at least he'll be looking after our kids there. They look so cute in their little dresses!"

"I saw!" Amy smiled, showing the pictures on her phone. "They're so adorable!"

A knock on the door then occurred, and Vanilla stepped in. "The groom is here."

Cream walked over to the door, looking through the window to see Tails. "Oh... he looks so dapper in his suit there."

"You still nervous?" asked Amy.

"Not in the slightest." Cream shook her head. "Let's get married!"

Vanilla looked at her watch. "It is almost time. I'd better go and get the music ready."

"Oh, could you get Vector in here too?" asked Cream. "I... want him to walk me down the aisle..."

Vanilla nodded, smiling. "Of course."

Cream smiled, watching as Vanilla left to the main hall. The mother rabbit got the people to sit down in their seats. As she did, she got a good look overall of the people there, smiling up at those on the altar and noticing how nervous and excited they had appeared as the bridesmaids walked over to take their spot on the side opposite to that of the groomsmen.

As for the rest of the guests at the wedding, it wasn't just the seating arrangements that they were made aware of, but also the dress code. The bridesmaids for the wedding were Taryn, Blaze, and eventually Vanilla, with Amy as the maid of honour, while the groomsmen were Knuckles, Silver, with Sonic as the best man as Vanilla went over to Vector to whisper in his ear, getting a nod from in reply as he left.

Both sides stuck to their dress codes accordingly as they were sat. Those on the side of the groom mostly wore more military-themed attire and suits, as most of those were veterans of the war, with Vector being the only one to have a black tie amongst them. Those on the side of the bride were mostly female and all wore cutely coloured dresses, all ranging in design but all wedding appropriate.

"It all looks good to me," said Knuckles.

Vanilla smiled at him before addressing the room. "Thank you all for coming along to the wedding. The bride will be out here soon. But before we get the pair married, our minister, Colonel Tyson Conway, wants to say a few words."

The Colonel walked over to Vanilla, thanking her before clearing his throat. "So, ladies and gentlemen, you have probably heard a lot of stories about me and the things that I have done. But today is not about any of those things, but rather the start of something new. Tails the fox was indeed a fine soldier. He went above and beyond the call of duty to help a fellow soldier, and I have not a single regret about having him on our side. Today, he embarks on an entirely new mission as he marries one Cream the rabbit. I never got to meet her until recently, under the more tragic circumstances of Tails' recent accident. But, once again, this is about the future. Tails and Cream have one beautiful daughter in Ashley, and I'm sure that their future years will bring more happiness, more joy, and more fulfilment. To Tails and Cream!" The crowd cheered at that, as did the people at the altar, and Conway chuckled lightly. "Now, what do you say that we get these two married?"

More cheering was heard, and Vanilla smiled. "That's my cue!" She went over to press the button on the radio, playing some wedding music.

Conway went over to the altar, waiting as Tails stood there, looking down the aisle. At the end of it, Vector appeared with Cream on his arm, dressed in her wedding gown with the veil over her head. Tails' eyes almost watered at how beautiful she looked, and he sniffled a little bit as she walked down, smiling back up at him. She got to him at the altar, Vector letting her go up to it, and she started to tear up on her own, with Tails following suit.

"You look so handsome," Cream blushed.

"You... you're perfect..." Tails blushed back.

Conway smiled, clearing his throat. "Ladies and gentlemen, we are gathered here today to join Tails the fox and Cream the rabbit in holy matrimony. If there is anyone who has any objections, speak no or forever hold your peace." Nobody spoke up, and Conway nodded. "Good. That makes this easier. And since I already said what I needed to earlier... Tails, Cream, your vows."

Tails nodded. "I'll go first, if that's fine." The audience laughed a bit at that. "Cream... it's safe to say that we've been through quite the journey to get to where we are today. But every part of it was worth it if it meant coming back home to you. Your letters, your love... they're what kept me sane when I was fighting. And from this day forward, until our last day together, I promise to keep fighting for you and for our daughter. I love you, Cream."

Cream blushed, her tears leaking underneath her veil. "Tails... ever since we first met, I counted myself lucky to have met you at all. When you proposed to me the night before leaving... all that I wanted was for you to come back to me. And I kept that hope with me for so long. I was scared, but knowing what was waiting when you came back... we brought a new life into this world, and now there's more love in it. And I am going to show you and Ashley that love from today until our last day. Tails... I love you so much."

There were some happy tears shed together from the people around them, with even the colonel bowing his head. "The rings."

Sonic sniffled a bit and handed the wedding rings over to Tails, and the yellow fox handed one of the bands over to Cream while holding the other band himself. He slid the one that he held onto Cream's finger, and in turn, she slid the band onto his as well. The two held hands as Conway kept speaking.

"I feel like I shouldn't even need to ask, but Cream, do you take Miles Prower to be your lawfully wedded husband?" asked Conway.

"I do," Cream nodded.

"And Tails, do you take Cream the rabbit to be your lawfully wedded wife?" asked Conway.

Tails nodded. "I do."

"Then by the power vested in me, I now pronounce you husband and wife. Tails, you may kiss the bride."

Tails smiled, lifting Cream's veil away and pushing his lips against hers softly. She smiled and kissed back, and the crowd cheered for the two. The pair broke from the kiss, and they hugged each other before going back into the crowd together, getting pats on the back, group hugs, and encouraging and excited words from their family and friends. They were given their wedding gifts as well.

Later on, Sonic gave a funny and only slightly embarrassing best man's speech, getting laughs from the crowd for one, and also getting cheers as Tails and Sonic shared a brotherly hug, the blue hedgehog wishing his best friend the best future. After that was the dancing, with Vanilla providing the music. Tails and Cream got to dance together, and Vector got to dance with Cream while Tails danced with Vanilla too. Blaze even danced with Jaime-May to an adorable response.

Tails and Cream got to the wedding cake too, taking pictures as they ate it. There was even a shot where they had a forkful each and linked arms, looping them around each other and eating, getting some laughs from the others there. They shared the cake with others, obviously, and other foods and drinks were had as well. Cream even tossed the bouquet, and surprisingly, Blaze caught it, blushing at Silver.

Soon, the day was winding down. Some people were going home, others were staying as there was still work to do at the shelter, and things were being packed up. Everyone congratulated the newlywed couple once more, with Wade and Taryn being one of the last to leave.

"We really should arrange that play-date," Wade smiled.

Cream, rocking Ashley, smiled. "I'll hold you to it. You two drive home safely, okay?"

"Will do!" said Taryn.

Jaime-May reached and petted Ashley's head. "Bye-bye, cousin! You be good!"

Tails and Cream waved at the two, and looked at each other, sharing another kiss before the fox spoke. "So... ready to go home?"

Cream nodded, rocking her little girl again. "It is getting pretty late... let's get going."

"You two have fun being married now," said Amy. "I could have sworn that we'd be next..."

Sonic smiled. "The bouquet isn't a be all and end all. And besides, good for Blaze and Silver."

"Thank you!" said Silver.

Tails chuckled a bit. "We'll see you guys in a few. I think we've earned a vacation. Possibly a honeymoon."

"Take care!" said Blaze.

Tails and Cream waved one more time, seeing that the dark was starting to settle in. They put Ashley in the car seat in the back and drove back to their home. They decided to take a shower when they got back, and when they were done, they headed to bed, taking Ashley with them.

Tails looked down at his ring, smiling and taking Cream's hand in his as they lay in bed. "We're married... my lovely wife..."

"My brave husband..." Cream kissed Tails gently. "Mm... it's time for bed..."

Tails nodded, kissing her back. "Goodnight. I love you."

Cream smiled. "I love you too." She then looked down to Ashley, kissing her gently. "And we love you too."

Ashley let out a squeak and snuggled up against Tails, who also kissed her. "Let's get to bed, sweetie."

And so, the family went to bed, with Cream and Tails holding hands as they slept next to each other with their baby daughter nestled between them, snoozing softly on her own.

* * *

 **And that's it for this story! Love And War is finally, finally** **finished! And what a ride it's been for our adorable fox and rabbit couple, no? I had fun writing this one, and I'm glad that it's over. But all good things must come to an end. I hope that you all enjoyed the story. Next, more More Toys, then I have one-shots and other stories to write... fun times. Until then, take care of yourselves, and if I don't see you sooner, Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays.**


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